Cepedietta michiganensis (Protozoa) and Batracholandros magnavulvaris (Nematoda) from plethodontid salamanders in West Virginia, USA

The gastrointestinal tracts of 38 plethodontid salamanders (25 Plethodon pu nctatus and 13 Plethodon wehrlei), collected at high elevation sites in Pen dleton and Randolph counties, West Virginia, U.S.A., were examined for para sites in 1996. Sixty percent of P. punctatus and 23% of P. wehrlei were inf ected by the ciliate Cepedietta michiganensis, while prevalences of the nem atode Batracholandros magnavulvaris were 52% and 30% for P. punctatus and P . wehrlei, respectively. Mean intensities were 3.4 nematodes per infected h ost for P. punctatus and 4.0 for P, wehrlei. Only 2 of 61 B. magnavulvaris collected were males. This is the first report of parasites from these plet hodontid species and the first record of C michiganensis from West Virginia .