Helminths of the common crane (Grus grus) from the South of Ukraine with new morphological and molecular data for Gruitaenia latissima (Cestoda, Dilepididae).

This study provides the first investigation of the helminth fauna of the common crane (Grus grus) in Ukraine. Fifty cranes were collected in southern Ukraine in February and March 2021 following a mass poisoning event caused by rodenticide brodifacoum. Eleven helminth taxa were identified, including six nematode taxa (Acuariidae gen. sp., Eucoleus obtusiuscula, Physocephalus sexalatus, Porrocaecum ardeae, Strongyloides sp., Tetrameres paradisea), four trematode taxa (Bilharziella polonica, Strigea gruis, Strigea sphaerula, Strigea sp.), and one cestode (Gruitaenia latissima). Four species, namely E. obtusiuscula, T. paradisea, S. gruis, and G. latissima, were reported for the first time in Ukraine. Among the recorded helminths, E. obtusiuscula, T. paradisea, S. gruis, and P. ardeae were the dominant taxa, with prevalence values of 50-88%, mean intensities of 6-25, and mean abundances of 4-20. Additionally, this study provides the first detailed description of the scolex morphology of the cestode G. latissima and the first molecular data for this species, represented by a partial sequence of the mitochondrial nad1 gene. Our findings enrich knowledge of the helminth fauna of the common crane in Eastern Europe and establish reference data for further taxonomical investigations of the genus Gruitaenia.