NEMATODES COMMUNITY INFECTING CHALCIDES OCELLATUS LIZARD AND THEIR RELATION TO SOME ENVIRONMENTAL AND BIOLOGICAL FACTORS

Sixty-eight species from Chalicides ocellatus lizard were captured from Abu Rawash, Giza, Egypt and surveyed for gastrointestinal nematodes. 50% of the lizards were infected. Five species of nematodes were recovered; the nematodes species were Pharyngodon mamillatus, Cosmocerca vrcibradici, Spauligodon petersi, Thelandros schusteri, and Parapharyngodon bulbosus. Prevalence of the infection was varied according to season. The highest prevalence, total intensity, and total abundance were recorded during winter. The prevalence of nematodes species also varied according to the lizard weight. The variation was different from one species to another. Infection with P. mamillatus, P. bulbosus, and C. vrcibradici was higher in females than males. Nematodes abundance and intensity were not related to host sex, except for C. vrcibradici and T. schusteri. In conclusion, the main effect in the nematodes intensity was the season and the lizard weight.