Review of Rhabdiasidae (Nematoda) from the Holarctic
Author
KUZMIN, YURIY
text
Zootaxa
2013
2013-04-16
3639
1
1
76
http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3639.1.1
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.3639.1.1
1175-5326
5262629
32584FBD-212B-4042-BCEF-04C698D71117
Rhabdias elaphe
Sharpilo, 1976
(
Fig. 18
)
Hosts:
Zamenis hohenackeri
,
Z. longissimus
(
Reptilia
: Serpentes:
Colubridae
), occasionally
Lacerta viridis
(
Reptilia
:
Sauria
:
Lacertidae
).
Site: lung.
Distribution: Western Palaearctic. Western, Central and Eastern Europe, Caucasus.
Description: Body length 5.21 (3.57–6.35) mm, maximum width 222 (132–299). Body cuticle thin, its outer surface transversely striated. Six cephalic lips arranged in two lateral groups. Oral opening wide, round. Vestibulum absent. Buccal capsule wide, funnel-shaped, 10 (8–12) deep and 24 (22–26) wide. Buccal capsule walls free from oesophageal tissue. Oesophagus comparatively wide, club-shaped, 311 (274–332) long (6.2 [4.5–8.6] % of body length). Posterior bulb of oesophagus 76 (60–92) wide. Nerve ring situated 147 (116–174) from anterior end of oesophagus (47.4 [36.8–54.0] % of oesophagus length). Excretory glands prominent, approximately as long as oesophagus. Intestine wide, its anterior end usually wider than posterior bulb of oesophagus. Rectum prominently sclerotised. Vulva situated at 2.39 (1.70–3.07) mm from anterior end (46.5 [39.5–51.6] % of total length). Eggs numbering 64 (27–107) in gravid specimens, containing embryos on early cleavage stages. Egg size 88–99 × 41–46 (after
Sharpilo 1976
). Tail wide, conical, 204 (149–249) long (4.0 [3.2–5.6] % of body length). Tail end tapered.
Biology (after
Kuzmin and Miskov 1999
). Life cycle is of strongyloid
type
. Homogony predominates with average ratio of homogonic:heterogonic stages 11:1. In the gonochoristic generation, males are more numerous than females (average ratio 2.6:1). Matricidal hatching is absent in the development of free-living generation’s offspring. Homo- and heterogonic infective larvae are similar in morphology. Development in the specific host was not studied; juveniles were able to develop up to the subadult stage in experimentally infected grass snake,
Natrix natrix
(Colubridae)
.
Material studied:
29 specimens
measured (
SIZK
), including
22 specimens
from
Z. longissima
(13 from
Carpathian Mountains
, 9 from the Black Sea northern coast,
Ukraine
),
4 specimens
from
Z. hohenackeri
(
Armenia
)
and
1 specimen
from
L. viridis
(
Carpathian Mountains
,
Ukraine
);
37 specimens
from
France
(
MNHN
, 139Q)
.
References:
Sharpilo (1976)
,
Lewin (1993)
,
Kuzmin and Miskov (1999)
.