Multicaecum		Contents		Rev 05/28/2025
		Classification		Biology and Ecology
		Morphology and Anatomy		Life Cycle
Return to Multicaecum menu				Ecosystem Functions and Services
		Distribution		Management
Return to Heterocheilidae Menu		Feeding		References
		Go to Nemaplex Main Menu		Go to Dictionary of Terminology

Classification:

Chromadorea

       Spiruria

         Ascaridida

          Ascaridoidea

               Heterocheilidae

                          Multicaecum Baylis, 1923

Type species of the genus: Multicaecum agile (Wedl. 1861) Baylis, 1923

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Morphology and Anatomy:

	From description of Multicaecum heterotis: Medium-sized, whitish nematodes with 3 lips Males not markedly smaller than females. Dorsal lip with two elliptical double papillae; each of two subventral lips with one elliptical single papilla and amphid, same width as length, rounded margins and narrow postlabial grooves. Lower part of each lip with conspicuous cuticular striations; anterior part slightly striated. labial pulp of each lip with two main branches ending anteriorly in short round cauliflower-like projections. Small obtuse denticles arranged along inner margin of anterio-median border of lip; series of small denticles ends with one or two large denticles on both sides of lip (This feature separates the genus from Brevimulticaecum which does not have denticle ridges on the lips). Number of denticles 18 or 19; thickness of denticles 0.5-3.4 (1.3). interlabia pyramidal with undivided tip, approximately half length of lips. Wide lateral cuticular alae reach back to just posterior to oesophagus. Excretory pore at level or slightly posterior to nerve ring. Esophagus straight, terminating in ventriculus with two anterior and three short, knob-like posterior appendices. Intestinal caecum approximately half length of esophagus. Ref: Masova et al., 2010
Multicaecum heterotis: cephalic region. 12: apical view of cerphalic region, arrows indicate amphides; 13: lateral view of cerphalic region, 14: detail of dorsal lip. Adapted from Masova et al., 2010.
Body size range for the species of this genus in the database - Click:

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Distribution:

Parasites of crocodilians (crocodiles, acymans, alligators) and fish.

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Economic Importance:

Intestinal parasites of fish.

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Hosts:

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Feeding:

Food Sources and Feeding strategies for the genus Multicaecum

Intestinal parasites of crocodilians and fish.

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Life Cycle

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Damage:

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Management:

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References:

Khalil, F. 1984. Brevimulticaecum scleropagi sp. nov. (Ascarididae: Nematoda) from the ish Scleropages jardini in Papua New guinea. J. Nat. Hist. 18: 797-802.

Masova, S., Moravec, F., Barus, V., Seifertova, M. 2020. Redescription, systematic status and molecular characterisation of Multicaecum heterotis Petter, Vassiliades et Marchand, 1979 (Nematoda: Heterocheilidae), an intestinal parasite of Heterotis niloticus (Osteichthyes: Arapaimidae) in Africa. Folia Parasitologica 57:280-288

Morgovoy, A.A. 1953: [Ascaridata of animals and Man and the Diseases caused by them. Essentials of Nematodology 2.] akademiya Nauk sssr, Moscow, 616 pp. (in Russian)

Petter, A.J., Vassialiades , G. and Marchand,  B. 1979.  Une nouvelle esp�ce de Multicaecum (Ascarididae, Nematoda) parasite de poisson en afrique. Bull. Inst. Fond. Afr. Noire 41: 324-329

Skrjabin, K.I., Shikhobalova, N.P., Mozgovoyk.i., A.A. 1951.  [Key to Parasitic Nematodes. Vol. ii, Oxyurata and Ascaridata.] Akademiya Nauk SSSR Publishers, Moscow, 631 pp. (in Russian)

Sprent, J.F.A. 1979: Ascaridoid nematodes of amphibians and reptiles: Multicaecum and Brevimulticaecum. J. Helminthol. 53: 91�116.

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