Family Desmidocercidae

Rev. 04/11/2025

 

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

 

References

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.

 

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