First record of Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection in Diplothrix legata (Rodentia: Muridae) in Tokunoshima Island, Japan

The Ryukyu long-furred rat, <i>Diplothrix legata</i> (Rodentia: Muridae), is an endangered species endemic to the Tokunoshima, Amami-Oshima, and Okinawajima Islands, which are part of Japan's southwestern islands. During the pathological examination of a deceased wild individual from Tokunoshima Island, lymphoma and infection with three nonnative parasites, <i>Angiostrongylus cantonensis</i> (Nematoda: Angiostrongylidae)<i>, Trichosomoides crassicauda</i> (Nematoda: Trichosomoididae)<i>,</i> and <i>Hydatigera taeniaeformis</i> (Cestoda: Taeniidae), were identified. Among these, <i>A. cantonensis</i> is a zoonotic species, with invasive rats as the final hosts and mollusks as intermediate hosts. Although the presence of <i>A. cantonensis</i> has been widely reported across the southwestern islands of Japan, this is the first record of this species on the Tokunoshima Island. With this study, <i>A. cantonensis</i> infection in wild <i>D. legata</i> is now confirmed in populations from all three islands where this species is found.