Abstract
No previous paleo-parasitological research has been conducted at archaeological sites on New Guinea, in contrast to that of elsewhere in Oceania, where multiple Melanesian and Polynesian archipelagos have recently been investigated. Here we examine samples from four archaeological sites in the New Guinea Highlands, comprising three rock-shelters (Yuku, Kiowa, and Manim) and one open site (Wanelek), encompassing time periods from the Last Glacial Maximum to the Late Holocene. Five helminth parasite taxa were identified, almost all in Late Holocene layers: Toxocara canis, Dipylidium caninum, Hymenolepis sp., Taenia sp., and an unknown trematode, some of which could have had adverse effects on people and their domestic animals. Results suggest the presence of introduced dogs and pigs at Yuku, Wanelek, and Manim, which, when considering site formation processes, suggests dispersal to the Highlands within the last c. 4,000 yr. These are the first pre-European contact records of helminth parasites for Sahul.