Exploring parasites in extreme environments of high conservational importance: Artemia franciscana (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) as intermediate host of avian cestodes in Andean hypersaline lagoons from Salar de Atacama, Chile.

The hypersaline lagoons located in evaporation basins or salars (salt flats) in the Atacama Desert are extreme environments harbouring a specialised biota able to survive harsh conditions for life. The knowledge of the parasitic biodiversity of these extreme habitats is still scarce despite their functional importance in regulating relevant non-economic services like habitats of waterbirds. The present study is the first report on the cestode infection of Artemia franciscana Kellogg in Salar de Atacama lagoons in northern Chile. A total of 23 parasite larvae were isolated and identified as belonging to five cestode taxa of the order Cyclophyllidea: two species of the family Hymenolepididae, i.e. Flamingolepis sp. 1 and Flamingolepis sp. 2 (adults parasitic in flamingos); two species of Dilepididae, i.e. Fuhrmannolepis averini (adults parasitic in phalaropes) and Eurycestus avoceti (adult parasitic in charadriforms birds); and one species of Progynotaeniidae, i.e. Gynandrotaenia (?) stammeri (adult parasitic in flamingos). The cysticercoids of each species are described and figured. The study represents the first geographical record of the genera Eurycestus, Gynandrotaenia and Fuhrmannolepis in South America and the first report of Gynandrotaenia and Flamingolepis in A. franciscana in its native range. This survey also contributes to the knowledge of cestodes of Phoenicopteriformes and Charadriiformes and their life cycles in the Neotropical Region. A review of cestodes recorded in brine shrimps of the genus Artemia in the world is provided. Further studies on cestode fauna of aquatic birds and their intermediate hosts in hypersaline habitats of the Neotropical Region are needed to understand their functional role in such extreme and unique ecosystems.