PDFDOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/v10058-012-0002-4
Analysis of regional peculiarities of species composition and structure of strongylid communities in domestic horses from various parts of Ukraine is presented. More than 86,000 strongylid specimens were collected using the diagnostic deworming technique from 180 horses in 10 regions (Kyivska, Kyrovogradska, Poltavska, Kharkivska, Sumska, Donetska, Ternopilska, Zakarpatska, Khersonska and AR Crimea) and identified to the species level. Thirty-three strongylid species from 12 genera were found – 26 species in the subfamily Cyathostominae and seven – in the subfamily Strongylinae. General structure of the strongylid community appeared to be multimodal. The highest biodiversity of strongylids was found in horses from Southern regions of Ukraine (29 species from 12 genera) and the lowest in Eastern regions (15 species from six genera). However, no statistically significant differences in species composition of strongylid communities in horses from various regions of Ukraine were found (p > 0.05). Comparison of strongylid biodiversity in domestic horses from Ukraine with that from others countries revealed the highest similarity of the strongylid communities from Ukraine, Czech Republic, and Poland; the lowest was in horses from South Africa and north-western Europe (France and the UK). Our results showed that the peculiarities of horse-keeping conditions influenced the biodiversity of the strongylid communities in domestic horses much more than climatic conditions in various regions.