Phylum Nematoda
Class
Chromadorea
Subclass
Chromadoria
Order Rhabditida
Superfamily Aproctoidea
Desmidocercidae Cram, 1927
Filarial nematode parasites of birds, including lung nematodes of albatrosses, cormorants, penguins and others. fish-eating birds
Desmidocercidae comprises three genera that infect the air sacs and lungs of fish-eating birds:
Species of Desmidocerca Skrjabin, 1916 and Desmidocercella Yorke & Maplestone, 1926 parasitize cormorants, gulls and herons.
Species of Diomedenema Johnston & Mawson, 1952 parasitize albatrosses and penguins
Anderson, R., and Bain, O. 2009. Spirurida: Diplotriaenoidea, Aproctoidea and Filarioidea. In: Keys to the nematode parasites of vertebrates: archival volume. Eds. Anderson, C., Chabaud, A. G., & Willmott, W. Wallingford, UK., CABI. pp. 391-448.
Gibson, D.I., RA Bray, D Hunt, BB Georgiev et al. 2014. Fauna Europaea: Helminths (Animal Parasitic). Biodiversity Data Journal doi: 10.3897/BDJ.2.e1060
Presswell. B., Bennett, J. 2021. Diomedenema dinarctos n. sp. (Spiruromorpha: Desmidocercidae), a new species of lung nematode in Fiordland crested penguins (Eudyptes pachyrhynchus;Sphenisciformes), from South Island, New Zealand. Systematic Parasitology 98:285-290.