Abstract:

Twenty-one specimens of the scincid lizard Emoia physicae from Papua New Guinea were examined for gastrointestinal helminths. Found were two species of Cestoda, Cylindrotaenia hickmani and Ophiotaenia greeri, and five species of Nematoda: Skrjabinodon derooijae, Skrjabinodon sheai, Abbreviata sp., Porrocaecum sp., and Rictulariidae gen. sp. Rictulariidae had the highest prevalence (29%) and Porrocaecum sp. had the greatest mean intensity (21.5 ± 9.2). Emoia physicae are infected by generalist helminths that also infect other species. Three helminth species are endemic to Papua New Guinea (O. greeri, S. derooijae, S. sheai); one is known from Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Oceania (C. hickmani); and three are paratenic larvae belonging to widely distributed groups (Abbreviata sp., Porrocaecum sp., Rictulariidae). All are new host records for E. physicae.