INTESTINAL HELMINTH COMMUNITIES IN THE GREEN LIZARD, LACERTA-VIRIDIS,FROM BULGARIA

A data set comprising individual host/parasite lists from 100 Lacerta viridis (Reptilia: Lacertidae) belonging to four isolated populations in Bulgaria was studied. A total of seven helminth species was recover ed (Leptophallus nigrovenosus, Plagiorchis molini, Oswaldocruzia filif ormis, Spauligodon extenuatus, Skrjabinelazia hoffmanni, Physaloptera clausa and Mesocestoides sp.). Lacerta viridis is a new host record fo r the first five of these species. Communities of intestinal helminths of L. viridis consist of a few species which resulted in a low specie s richness, abundance and diversity of infracommunities, which exhibit substantial homogeneity among the four samples. A similar pattern of dominance of two nematode species leading to a relatively high communi ty similarity at both infra- and component community levels was observ ed. While intestinal helminth communities in lizards from 'marginal' h abitats were dominated by the host generalist, O. filiformis, those in hosts from 'typical' habitats were dominated by the lizard specialist S. extenuatus. The results indicate that the characteristics of the h ost's habitat are important in determining the composition rather than structure of intestinal helminth communities in L. viridis.