First Report of Bothriocephalus rarus (Bothriocephalidea: Bothriocephalidae) from a Cave Salamander, Eurycea lucifuga and Grotto Salamanders, Eurycea spelaea (Caudata: Plethodontidae) from Oklahoma, with a Summary of Helminths from these Hosts

Abstract

The cave salamander, Eurycea lucifuga Rafinesque, 1822, as its name implies, is restricted to moist woodlands, cliff fissures, and damp limestone caves in the Central Highlands of North America from western Virginia and central Indiana southward to northern Georgia and west to eastern Oklahoma (Powell et al. 2016). In Oklahoma, E. lucifuga is restricted to karst systems in the northeastern portion of the state (Sievert and Sievert 2011). The grotto salamander, Eurycea spelaea (Stejneger) is, as an adult, a troglobitic species that occurs in darker zones of caves, underground streams and sinkholes in the Salem and Springfield plateaus in the Ozark region of southwestern Missouri to southeastern Kansas and adjacent areas from northern Arkansas to northeastern Oklahoma (Powell et al. 2016).
Larval grotto salamanders can be found outside of caves in surface springs and in the entrance zone of caves but can also be found living deeper in cave systems (Fenolio et al. 2004; Trauth et al. 2004). In Oklahoma, E. spelaea is restricted to limestone caves and adjacent springs and seeps in the extreme northeastern corner of the state. (Sievert and Sievert 2011).