First record of the marine turtle leech (Ozobranchus margoi) on hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the inner granitic Seychelles
Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research
| Field | Value | |
| Title | First record of the marine turtle leech (Ozobranchus margoi) on hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) in the inner granitic Seychelles | |
| Creator | Göpper, Byron M. Voogt, Nina M. Ganswindt, Andre | |
| Description | Ozobranchus spp. are leeches that feed solely on turtle blood. They are common ectoparasites found on a range of marine turtle species, with some species of the leech being implicated as vectors of fibropapilloma-associated turtle herpesvirus (FPTHV). Green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) turtles are the two commonly occurring species in the inner granitic islands of the Seychelles. Routine monitoring of nesting turtles on Cousine Island, Seychelles, allowed for opportunistic sightings of leeches on two hawksbill females. In both cases infestation was low, with three leeches collected off one female turtle and five off the other. No obvious signs of papillomas secondary to infection of FPTHV were seen. All of the turtle leeches collected were determined to be Ozobranchus margoi as they had five pairs of lateral digiform branchiae. The specimens were deposited in the Seychelles Natural History Museum on Mahé. To the best of our knowledge this is the first record of Ozobranchus margoi recorded in the inner granitic Seychelles on hawksbill turtles. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2018-08-30 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/ojvr.v85i1.1604 | |
| Source | Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Research; Vol 85, No 1 (2018); 3 pages 2219-0635 0030-2465 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://ojvr.org/index.php/ojvr/article/view/1604/1765
https://ojvr.org/index.php/ojvr/article/view/1604/1764
https://ojvr.org/index.php/ojvr/article/view/1604/1766
https://ojvr.org/index.php/ojvr/article/view/1604/1759
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