Dracunculus

Cleveland, Christopher A., Garrett, Kayla B., Cozad, Rebecca A., Williams, Brianna M., Murray, Maureen H. & Yabsley, Michael J., 2018, The wild world of Guinea Worms: A review of the genus Dracunculus in wildlife, International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife 7 (3), pp. 289-300 : 290

1.1. Genus Dracunculus

Nematodes in the genus Dracunculus are large subcutaneous parasites of mammals and reptiles (snakes and turtles) with most described species being from snakes. The females of Dracunculus spp . are some of the longest nematodes with recorded lengths up to 100 cm ( Cairncross et al., 2002). Morphologically, female Dracunculus spp . are very similar and molecular characterization is needed for definitive identification. Males are considerably smaller (16–40 mm), but they have several morphological features that can be used to distinguish the different parasite species ( Crichton and Beverly-Burton, 1973; Cairncross et al., 2002). Unfortunately, males are rarely detected and have never been described for some species. This is particularly problematic for hosts that may be infected with more than one dracunculid (e.g., river otters ( Lontra canadensis )) or with parasites detected in novel hosts.