Gastrointestinal parasites of owl monkeys (Aotus azarai azarai) in the Argentinean Chaco

Abstract

In fragmented habitats, an increase in the proportion of available forest edge has been positively correlated to parasite richness. We evaluated how the presence of forest edge may affect parasite-host dynamics in a population of wild owl monkeys (Aotus azarai azarai) in an unlogged gallery forest in Formosa, Argentina. We collected 53 fecal samples from groups inhabiting edge territories (n = 7 groups, 33 samples) and groups inhabiting the interior of the forest (n = 3 groups, 15 samples). We compared the number of parasite species (richness) found between the two types of groups, as well as the frequency of samples with multiple infections (more than one parasite species in the sample) and the distribution of helminths on the forest floor between habitat types. The number of parasite species, the proportion of samples with multiple infections and the helminth distribution were not significantly different across the two habitat types.