We examined 822 Jollyville Plateau Salamanders, Eurycea tonkawae, from Williamson and Travis counties, Texas, U.S.A., for endoparasites. Because this species is protected, we used a minimally invasive technique to visualize and obtain encapsulated parasites. Three salamanders (0.37%) were found to be harboring metacercaria of a Clinostomum species. We identified these digeneans as belonging to C. marginatum based on morphological characteristics and supporting molecular analyses. This is the first peer-reviewed published report of any parasite from this federally threatened salamander.
We examined 822 Jollyville Plateau Salamanders, Eurycea tonkawae, from Williamson and Travis counties, Texas, U.S.A., for endoparasites. Because this species is protected, we used a minimally invasive technique to visualize and obtain encapsulated parasites. Three salamanders (0.37%) were found to be harboring metacercaria of a Clinostomum species. We identified these digeneans as belonging to C. marginatum based on morphological characteristics and supporting molecular analyses. This is the first peer-reviewed published report of any parasite from this federally threatened salamander.