Helminth community structure in rattus leucopus (gray) (muridae) from Australia, Papua New Guinea and Papua

This study describes the helminth community in 28 Rattus leucopus, from Australia, Papua New Guinea and Papua (formerly Irian Jaya), and compare the community in Australian R. leucopus with those known from two other Australian endemics, R. sordidus and R. fuscipes. In total, 28 parasite species were found: one acanthocephalan, five cestodes, one trematode and 21 namatodes as well as two lots of unidentified spirurid nematode lavae. The diversity of helminths in R. leucopus was high but equitable; the reciprocal of Simpson's Index was 1.75. The distribution of helminth species was not indicative of a core-satelite structure. No species occurred at a prevalence >30% and more than half the species occurred at a prevalence of