Helminth parasites of the purple-necked rock wallaby, Petrogale lateralis purpureicollis, from Queensland

Abstract

Examination of 12 Petrogale lateralis purpureicollis from north-western Queensland for helminths yielded one species of cestode and 12 species of nematodes, five of which represent new host records. The diversity of the helminth community present was comparable with that found in other species of rock wallabies. The helminth community was divisible into three distinct groups, species known only from the various subspecies of P. lateralis, species found only in rock wallabies and species found commonly in the sympatric macropodid Macropus robustus, presumably acquired by host switching in shared habitat.