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Conference Agenda

Overview and details of the sessions of this conference. Please select a date or location to show only sessions at that day or location. Please select a single session for detailed view (with abstracts and downloads if available).

Daily Overview

Session

CP6.1: Wildlife 1: Fish, Snakes & Turtles 10 min talks
Location: Lecture Theatre 3
Session Chair: Nathan Bott, RMIT University
Session Chair: Amanda Ash, Murdoch University

Presentation 4

Invaded parasite communities of the banded water snake (Nerodia fasciata) in Florida, USA

Madison Harman¹, Natalie Claunch², Ben Gonzalez³, Arik Hartmann³, Zuania Colon-Pineiro³, Nicolina Valore³, Andres Calavia³, Elyse Martin³, Sasha Sandoval³, Marcos Rodriguez-Lapido³, Ashley Hamersma³, W. James Whelpley⁴, Maria Ojeda-Rojas⁴, Michelle Bassis⁴, Christina Romagosa¹, Mike Kinsella⁵, Ana Longo³, Melissa Miller⁴

1: Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; 2: United States Department of Agriculture, Gainesville, FL, USA; 3: Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA; 4: Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, Davie, FL, USA; 5: HelmWest Laboratory, Missoula, MT

The state of Florida, USA is a global invasion hotspot where more than 150 species of non-native reptiles and amphibians have been introduced. One of the most detrimental, the Burmese python (Python bivittatus), is less well-known for having co-introduced an invasive parasite, Raillietiella orientalis. This pentastome has since spilled over into both native and invasive herpetofauna and is a suspected contributor to the decline of several native snake populations, including the banded water snake (Nerodia fasciata). To investigate the influence of invasive R. orientalis infection on the physiology and native parasite communities of N. fasciata, we conducted metabolic rate testing prior to euthanasia and necropsies. We examined snakes externally then screened the mouth, respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract and body cavity for parasites. Invasive pentastomes were found in 74% (23/31) of snakes with an infection intensity of 1-45, while no native pentastomes were found. Hosts with invasive pentastomes had a higher prevalence of nematodes, trematodes, cestodes, acanthocephalans, and respiratory mites relative to snakes without pentastomes. Results are discussed in regard to the potential impacts of invasive species on native parasite communities and resulting influence on hosts.