2014 Volume 19 Issue 1 Pages 31-35
A helminthological survey was performed on 75 individuals of Tancho, Grus japonensis, from Hokkaido, Japan. A total of seven helminth species, including five nematode (Baruscapillaira sp., Contracaecum sp., Paracuaria adunca, Syncuaria sp., Viktorocara sp.) and two trematode (Echinostoma gotoi, Apatemon gracilis) species were obtained from 57.3% of the cranes, and E. gotoi was the most common encountered. Among the above helminths, all helminths except for E. gotoi were the first host records for G. japonensis worldwide, and Syncuaria sp. was the first geographical record from Japan. Since the acuariid nematodes including the genera Paracuaria, Syncuaria and Viktorocara are known to cause ulcerative ventriculitis and/or enteritis in bird alimentary tracts, monitoring of helminths is recommended in this endangered crane species.
