Dataset Information

First record of Cathaemasia hians (Trematoda: Cathaemasiidae) in a new bird host, the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca).

ABSTRACT: An injured young individual of the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca; Accipitridae) from the Protected Bird Area "Medzibodrožie" in the south-eastern Slovakia was subjected to the complete clinical examination at the Clinic for Birds and Exotic Animals of the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy. Adult trematodes were isolated from the pharynx of the eagle after oesophagoscopy. The morphological and molecular identification of the flukes confirmed a trematode Cathaemasia hians (Cathaemasiidae), the obligate parasite of black storks (Ciconia nigra) and white storks (Ciconia ciconia). This finding represents the first documented case of C. hians in new bird host species and indicates broader spectrum of definitive hosts of the fluke.

SUBMITTER: Juhasova L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10787629 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

First record of Cathaemasia hians (Trematoda: Cathaemasiidae) in a new bird host, the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca).

Juhásová Ľ Ľ Königová A A Molnár L L Major P P Králová-Hromadová I I Čisovská Bazsalovicsová E E

Helminthologia 20231231 4

An injured young individual of the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca; Accipitridae) from the Protected Bird Area "Medzibodrožie" in the south-eastern Slovakia was subjected to the complete clinical examination at the Clinic for Birds and Exotic Animals of the University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy. Adult trematodes were isolated from the pharynx of the eagle after oesophagoscopy. The morphological and molecular identification of the flukes confirmed a trematode Cathaemasia ...[more]

PMID: 38222488

Similar Datasets

Project description:The Eastern Imperial Eagle (EIE) is a top predator exploiting different prey in different parts of its distribution. In this study, we summarise data collected over a long period of time (for 25 consecutive years), identifying key prey species in the different regions, as well as clarifying seasonal preferences in the eagle's diet. Most studies on the EIE food composition covering different parts of the species distribution range analyse the breeding season, while data about the winter diet are scarce. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study detailing the differences in EIE's dietary preferences between the breeding and the winter periods. We identified 4891 specimens belonging to 196 different taxa, which represents the most comprehensive study considering the diet diversity of this threatened species. Mammals represented the largest proportion of the diet, followed by birds and reptiles. Northern White-breasted Hedgehog was the most common prey, accounting for 25.7% of the total prey caught and 26.75% of the biomass. The European Souslik was the second most important prey with 14.35% participation in the eagle's diet, but with a 3.75% contribution to the biomass. As we predicted, prey composition and main prey species varied spatially and seasonally. Modelling differences in the EIE diet, we found that the "territory effect" had the strongest impact on the dietary variations. Diet diversity differed significantly between regions (F = 12.6, df = 4, p = 0.01). During the breeding season, eagles fed mainly on Hedgehogs (29.88%), Sousliks (16.85%) and Storks (7.74%), while the winter diet was predominantly small rodents (44.17%) and songbirds (13.96%). We found that top predators, such as EIE, have successfully adapted to a novel food source, which is abundant in the area. The detected flexibility in the diet of the species and its ability to switch to alternative prey, if available, when the primary prey decreased, should be considered when planning species conservation efforts. Investigating the temporal change of the main prey in the eagle's diet is also crucial for further species conservation measures.

Dataset Information

First record of Cathaemasia hians (Trematoda: Cathaemasiidae) in a new bird host, the Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca).

Publications

First record of <i>Cathaemasia hians</i> (Trematoda: Cathaemasiidae) in a new bird host, the Eastern Imperial Eagle (<i>Aquila heliaca</i>).

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets