In October 2005 Dr. Scott Snyder of the University of Nebraska at Omaha and
 Dr. Vasyl Tkach of the University of North Dakota were awarded a three year grant from the National Science Foundation to discover the biodiversity of parasites in Australian turtles (Awards # 0515460 & 0515492).

The project seeks to comprehensively examine the protozoan and animal parasites that live in and on Australian turtles. The parasites represent at least five phyla and are an important but hidden component of Australia's biodiversity. The influence of parasites on the health and ecology of Australian turtles is unknown, in part because the parasites are unknown. Our project will not only uncover a great number of species new to science but also has the potential to inform studies of turtle ecology and conservation. This project incorporates a number of students who form an essential component of the research as they learn. Interested students should contact Snyder or Tkach.

Only 39 parasite species are recognized from Australia's freshwater turtles and these parasites have been reported from only seven of Australia’s 25 turtle species. Most of Australia's turtles have never been examined for parasites and those that have come from relatively small regions of Queensland and New South Wales. Preliminary work in support of our NSF grant supports the notion that a large amount of turtle parasite diversity remains to be uncovered. In June 2004, examination of only two Northern long-necked turtles, Chelodina rugosa, collected in the Mary River, Northern Territory (NT) revealed eight parasite species. Six of these species appear to be new to science and at least one belongs to a novel genus. During the same month we collected three Victoria River red-faced turtles, Emydura victoriae, from the Victoria River, NT. These turtles hosted six species of parasites, five being new and two of these representing novel genera. Thus, the examination of a mere five turtles increases the total number of parasite species recovered from NT turtles from one to 15, the number of parasites recovered from C. rugosa from zero to eight and the number recovered from E. victoriae from zero to six.

A subsequent preliminary trip to the Daly River, NT in May and June 2005 provided us with additional parasites from Emydura victoriae and Chelodina rugosa. We also collected several Northern yellow-faced turtles (Emydura tanybaraga), Northern snapping turtles (Elseya dentata) and the odd and fascinating Pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelys insculpta). We collected additional specimens of parasite species collected in 2004 that are essential to describing these species as new to science and recovered new worms that no one has seen before and that await description!

In December and January 2005/2006 Snyder took the first NSF-sponsored trip of the project to southern New South Wales. He examined the Snake-necked turtle, Chelodina longicollis, the Broad-shelled turtle, Chelodina expansa, and the Murray River turtle, Emydura macquarii. We are still examining the parasites recovered from these turtles.

A planned trip in May and June of 2006 will take Tkach and Snyder to the Kimberley Plateau of Western Australia, yet another region of Australia in which the parasites of turtles are unknown.

 

 

Please follow the links on the left to examine some aspects of this research.