Acanthocephalus bufonis (Acanthocephala) from Bufo marinus (Bufonidae : Amphibia) in Hawaii

During a survey of the helminth parasites of the introduced load, Bufo mari nus, on O'ahu, Hawaii, an acanthocephalan corresponding to Acanthocephalus bufonis (Shipley, 1903) was found in the intestinal tract. This is a new ho st and locality record for A. bufonis which has only previously been record ed from amphibians in the Orient. Possible mechanisms for the introduction of A. bufonis to Hawaii, and its transmission to the toad, are discussed. A lmost 98 % of toads were infected with a mean intensify of: 28.6 acanthocep halans per infected toed. There was a significant negative correlation betw een host length and intensity of infection with subadult toads having signi ficantly higher infection levels than adult male and female loads. Trunk le ngth of both male and female acanthocephalans was significantly related to host length.