In its original area, 17 helminth species were reported for T. s.
elegans, being Serpinema trispinosum and Neoechinorrhynchus the
most prevalent species (Rosen and Marquardt, 1978; Moravec
and Vargas-Vázquez, 1998). None of the parasites reported for
these areas were found in T. s. elegans from southwestern Spain,
where turtles are infected by helminth fauna of native species,
reaching similar or higher prevalence