BIODIVERSITY OF HELMINTHS OF THE DAGHESTANI TUR, CHAMOIS, AND ROE DEER IN THE SOUTH-EAST OF THE NORTH CAUCASUS

Abstract

The ecosystems of the south-east of the Northern Caspian Sea are inhabited by three representatives of artiodactyls, namely, the Daghestani (East Caucasian) tur, the chamois (wild mountain goat) and the roe deer. All three species are under the state protection and listed in the Red Book. The helminth biodiversity in these three species of ruminants has been studied for 35 years due to the fact that the hunting is prohibited, therefore it is very difficult to collect material for research. The collected material analysis showed that helminth biodiversity in the Daghestani tur was represented by 20 species, chamois by 16 species, and roe deer by 15 species. From the trematode and cestode classes, 2 species of F. hepatica, D. lanceatum, M. expansa, and M. benedeni were recorded. The rest of the fauna was represented by nematodes including 22 species from the suborder Strongylata, one species of G. pulchrum from Spirurata and one species of T. ovis from Trichocephalata. The invasion prevalence (IP) of helminths in the Daghestani tur varied from 3.5 to 14.2% with the invasion intensity (II) of 1–12 specimens, respectively, in the chamois up to 8.3% and 2–5 specimens, and in the roe deer 4.1–8.3% and 1–4 specimens. The largest number of species were represented by the genera Nematodirus, Ostertagia, and Trichostrongylus.