Helminths of mustelids (Mustelidae) in Lithuania

Abstract

This study provides new faunistic data for helminths of mustelids in Lithuania. Twenty-five mustelids were examined for helminths: 2 pine martens (Martes martes), 4 stone martens (Martes foina), 9 American minks (Neovison vison) and 10 European polecats (Mustela putorius). Nine taxa of the parasitic worms were found: trematodes Isthmiophora melis (Schrank, 1788) and Strigea strigis (Schrank, 1788) mesocercaria, cestodes Mesocestoides lineatus Goeze, 1782 and Cestoda g. sp. and nematodes Eucoleus aerophilus (Creplin, 1839), Aonchotheca putorii (Rudolphi, 1819), Crenosoma schachmatovae Kontrimavičius, 1969, Molineus patens (Rudolphi, 1845) and Nematoda g. sp. The biggest infection parameters were detected for flukes Isthmiophora melis and Strigea strigis mesocercaria in American mink and European polecat. In most cases the distribution of helminths in populations of mustelids was aggregated (s²/A > 1).