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Coprological Surveys of Alouatta pigra at Two Sites in Belize

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Fecal samples were collected from black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra) in north central Belize and analyzed for evidence of endoparasite life stages. At least six types of endoparasites were found in Alouatta pigra fecal samples collected in the Lamanai Archaeological Reserve and the Community Baboon Sanctuary in 1999. These include a digenean trematode, an oxyurid nematode, a strongyle-type nematode, an ascarid presumed to be Ascaris sp., Entamoeba coli and Iodamoeba bütschlii. Higher trematode prevalence was found in adult Alouatta pigra compared to juveniles and higher prevalence of nematode larvae in all animals was found in the wet season compared to the dry season.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

K. A. Eckert and H. Markowitz thank Oceanic Society Expeditions and M. Howells at the Lamanai Field Research Center in Belize for providing funding, research assistants, accommodations, and logistical assistance with this project. B. Cruz and C. Godoy provided field, laboratory, and manuscript preparation assistance at Lamanai; G. Antipa, G. Lum,S. Garcia, and S. Hochide at San Francisco State University (SFSU);M. Eberhard of the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, GA; andT. Rainwater of Texas Tech University. D. M. Kitchen and A. Genz would like to thank the residents of Bermudian Landing for friendship and access to private lands and N. Grindheim, M. Joseph, S. Kenney, C. Vögt, and N. Weber for field assistance. For funding, K. A. Eckert thanks the Graduate Assistantship in Areas of National Need, the College of Science and Engineering, and the Department of Biology at SFSU and the SFSU Conservation Fund, which M. Vasey. Dayton & Wilkie Natural History Grants, UMN Grants for Research Abroad, UMN Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior provided funding for Dawn M. Kitchen. Finally we thank The Belize Forestry Department and Minister of Agriculture for allowing research at the Lamanai site and CBS management for permission to conduct research at the Bermudian Landing site.

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Eckert, K.A., Hahn, N.E., Genz, A. et al. Coprological Surveys of Alouatta pigra at Two Sites in Belize. Int J Primatol 27, 227–238 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-005-9010-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764-005-9010-3

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