Helminths of the invasive Podarcis muralis (Laurenti, 1768) and native P. tauricus (Pallas, 1814) wall lizards from two localities in southern Ukraine

Abstract Helminth communities of the invasive Podarcis muralis and the native P. tauricus were investigated in southern Ukraine based on newly collected material and historical data. A total of nine P. muralis and 20 P. tauricus specimens were examined. Two helminth species were recorded in each lizard host. In P. muralis , the nematode Spauligodon saxicolae and cystacanths of the acanthocephalan Centrorhynchus globocaudatus were found, while S. saxicolae and the cestode Oochoristica tuberculata were found in P. tauricus. Historical data from 116 P. tauricus collected between 1951 and 1990 revealed a total of nine helminth taxa, most of which occurred at low prevalence. The occurrence of S. saxicolae in both host species suggests that invasive and native lacertids in southern Ukraine may share part of the same local parasite pool. However, larger spatially replicated studies are required to evaluate parasite exchange and transmission dynamics.