Family Cooperiidae

                                 Revised 01/12/26

Classification:

Phylum Nematoda

  Class Chromadorea

    Subclass Chromadoria

Rhabditida

               Rhabditina

Rhabditoidea

Trichostrongyloidea

           Cooperiidae (Skrjabin & Schultz, 1937) Durette-Desset, Hugot, Darlu, & Chabaud, 1999

A large family, many of which are parasites of ruminant mammals.

Three subfamilies separetde primarily on pattern of bursal rays of males:

• Cooperiinae - intestinal parasites of ruminants (bursal rays in a 2-2-1 pattern with ray 3 longer than ray 5)
• Libyostrongylinae - parsites of rodents and flightless birds (bursal rays in a 1-3-1 pattern with ray 3 eqal to or shorter than than ray 5)
• Obeliscoidinae - parasites of rabbits, tapir, birds (bursal rays in a 2-1-2 pattern with rays 5 and 6 joined or parallel)

The synlophe, a system of longitudinal cuticular ridges, is characteristic of some trichostrongyloid nematodes and is used to aid identification.

Morphology and Anatomy:

• Buccal capsule reduced.
• Cephalic vesicle present
• Synlophe bilaterally symmetrical
• Females usually didelphic
• Tail lacking spine

Large family; many genera are parasites of ruminants and often of considerable veteriinary importance.

Hosts include Mammals, birds, including cattle, rabbits, tapirs, rodents, and Gorilla

Parasites of stomach and digestive tract.

Life Cycle:

Third stage juveniles ingested by definitive host where they develop in small intestine. Arrested larval development (hypobiosis, a dauer stage) is common.

Management:

Management by anthelminthics important in cattle.

    Go To Dictionary of Terminology 

References

Beveridge, I., Spratt, D.M.  and Durette-Desset, M-C. 2014. Order Strongylida (Railliet and Henry, 1913). In Schmidt-Raesa, A. (ed). Handbook of Zoology: Gastroctricha, Cycloneurelia and Gnathifera. Vol 2. Nematoda. De Gruyter, Berlin

Durette-Desset, M-C., Hugot, J.P., Darlu, P. and Chabaud, A.G. 1999. A cladistic analysis of the Trichostrongyloidea. Int. Jour. Parasitol. 21:579-587.

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