A review of the nematode assemblage of the Australian bush rat,(Muridae).

Abstract

Nematode records and specimens from the South Australian Museum, Australian Museum, CSIRO Wildlife Collection, Queensland Museum, Western Australian Museum, and Natural History Museum, London, of 1107 individuals ofwere examined. The nematode community comprised 19 families, 36 genera, and 44 identified species.and unidentified heligmonellids were recovered from 4 individuals ofwas infected with 40 identified species of nematode from 955 individuals;18 species from 107 individuals; and8 species from 28 individuals.harboured 18 species in Northern Queensland, 27 species in Southern Queensland, 27 species in New South Wales, 19 species in Victoria, and 8 species in South Australia. A bootstrap analysis of thenematode community indicated that 91.3% of species had been found. No core species were revealed. The Trichostrongylidae dominated with, andoccurring in all the populations., 43% prevalence, in Victoria and, 42% prevalence, in South Australia were secondary species. Sorensen's indices indicated thatandhad the most similar nematode communities, 54.8%. Overall, the Northern and Southern Queensland populations were most similar (77.3%) and the New South Wales and South Australian populations least similar (22.9%). The identifications of,, andwere confirmed. The species composition of the nematode community ofsuggested a scenario of coevolution, host switching, recently acquired and occasional infections in a community of cosmopolitan, regional, and indigenous species. Species throughout the component communities ofindicated that climate and habitat were also determinants of species composition.