Phylum Nematoda
Class
Chromadorea
Subclass
Chromadoria
Order Rhabditida
Superfamily Cosmocercoidea
Cosmocercidae (Railliet, 1916) Travassos, 1925
Parasites of amphibians, reptiles and fish. Two genera are parasites of terrestrial molluscs: snails and slugs.
Oviparous or viviparous
Female didelphc
Esophageal isthmus elongated, not spherical
Male without pre-anal sucker
Subfamilies:
Cosmocercinae:Railliet, 1916
Genital structure not modified from typical nematode
Vulva posterior to esophagus
Eggs without filaments
Parasites of amphibians, rarely reptiles
Maxvachonlinae Chabaud & Brygoo, 1960
Vulva in region of esophagus
Female tail very long, 25% of body length
Eggs with filaments
Parasites of reptiles, some amphibians
Gyrinicolinae (family Gyrinicolidae resurrected?)
One uterus transformed into a sac conataining males
Parasites of amphibian tadpoles
Australoplectaninae Baker, 1981
A subfamily erected to accommodate Austrapleectana (a redescription of Raillietnema kartanum)
Anderson, R.C., Chabaud, A.G., Willmott, S. 1978. CIH Keys to the Nematode Parasites of Vertebrates. Eds Anderson, R.C., Chabaud, A.G., Willmott, S. CAB
Bursey, C.R., Goldberg, S.R., Kraus, F. 2011. New species of Aplectana (Nematoda Cosmocercidae in Sphenomorphus pratti from Papua New Guinesa. J. Parasitol. 97:654-660.
McAllister, CT, CR Bursey, PS Freed. 2010. Aplectana macintoshii (Nematoda: Cosmocercidae) from two species of anurans (Bufonidae, Pyxicephalidae) from the Republic of Namibia, Southwest Africa. Comparative Parasitology 77:100-104.
Moravec, F., Chara, J., Shinn, A.P. 2004. Two nematodes, Dentinema trichomycteri n. g., n. sp. (Cosmocercidae) and Procamallanus chimusensis Freitas & Ibáñez, 1968 (Camallanidae), from catfishes Trichomycterus spp. (Pisces) in Colombia. Systematic Parasitology 59:189-197.
Pieterse, A., Malan, A.P., Ross, J.L. 2017. Nematodes that associate with terrestrial molluscs as definitive hosts, including Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita (Rhabditida: Rhabditidae) and its development as a biological molluscicide. J. Helminthol. 91:517-527.