Helminth Survey of the Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) from the Rolling Plains of Texas, U.S.A.

abstract: The eyes, breast muscle, and internal organs of 128 hunter-shot northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) from the Rolling Plains ecoregion of Texas, U.S.A., were examined for helminths. Six species of nematodes, 1 acanthocephalan, and 1 cestode were found in 120 bobwhites, representing 18,205 helminth individuals. Aulonocephalus pennula was the most common (91% prevalence) and numerically abundant (91% of all individuals) species, followed by Oxyspirura petrowi (66% prevalence and 7% of all individuals). Each of the remaining 6 species was rare (<24% prevalence). Species richness was low compared to studies from the southeastern United States. Of the species found, Tetrameres pattersoni, Cheliospirura spinosa, and O. petrowi are known to cause pathology in quail. Prevalence and mean abundance of O. petrowi were higher in adults than juveniles. Host age did not influence prevalence of A. pennula, and host sex did not influence prevalence or mean abundance of A. pennula or O. petrowi.