Rhabdias martinoi Kurochkin

KUZMIN, YURIY, 2013, Review of Rhabdiasidae (Nematoda) from the Holarctic, Zootaxa 3639 (1), pp. 1-76 : 56

Rhabdias martinoi Kurochkin et Gus'kov, 1963

( Fig. 24 )

Host: Natrix natrix ( Reptilia: Serpentes: Colubridae ).

Site: eyes.

Distribution: Western Palaearctic (known from one locality - Stanitsa Pashkovskaya, Krasnodarskiy Krai, Russia).

Description. Body length 5.92–7.42 mm, maximum width 216–332. Body cuticle thin. Six cephalic lips small, arranged in two lateral groups. Buccal capsule absent. Oesophagus club-shaped, 257–290 long (3.7–4.5 % of body length). Oesophageal bulb 40–44 wide. Nerve ring encircling oesophagus just anterior to bulb, at 183–191 from anterior end (65.7–71.0 % of oesophagus length). Excretory pore situated behind the level of oesophagus posterior end. Excretory glands shorter than oesophagus. Anterior part of intestine narrower than oesophageal bulb. Rectum prominently sclerotised. Vulva situated at 2.77–3.37 mm from anterior end (44.1–47.1 % of total length). Vulva lips distinct. Uteri wide, filled with numerous eggs. Most eggs containing larvae. Egg size 70–75 × 37–40 (after Sharpilo 1976). Ovaries narrow. Proximal ends of genital tubes not reaching level of vulva. Tail short, conical. Tail length 166–199, or 2.2–3.2 % of body length.

Remarks. R. martinoi was reported only once ( Kurochkin and Guskov 1963) and has never been found either in the type locality or elsewhere. The species has genital system typical for all Rhabdiasidae ; it differs from the other species of the genus Rhabdias by the unusual localisation of gravid specimens and in the posterior position of nerve ring and excretory pore. It is related to other species from snakes in the body cuticle structure and preequatorial position of vulva.

Material studied: 6 specimens ( SIZK) collected by Dr. Y. Kurochkin in the type locality .

References: Kurochkin and Guskov (1963), Sharpilo (1976).

Figures

FIGURE 24. R. martinoi. A—anterior part of body, lateral view; B—general view. Scale bars: A—0.1 mm; B—0.3 mm.