Graphidioides affinis

Graphidioides affinis	Contents	Rev 05/11/2026
	Classification	Biology and Ecology
	Morphology and Anatomy	Life Cycle
Return to Graphidioides Menu		Ecosystem Functions and Services
	Distribution	Management
Return to Trichostongylidae Menu	Feeding	References
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Classification

Chromadorea
Chromadoria
Rhabditida
Rhabditina
Trichostronglyloidea
Trichstrongylidae

Graphidioides affinis (Megnin, 1895) Cameron, 1925

Morphology and Anatomy:

Males:

1-2 cm long,
Copulatory bursae well-developed and cup-shaped, with one dorsal lobe and two symmetrical left and right lobes; anteroventral rays short, thin and directed forward; the posteroventral rays long, massive and directed backwards. Lateral rays wide, the medio- and posterolateral rays extended to the bursal edge, but the anterolateral rays terminated before it.
A pair of weakly pronounced pre-bursal papillae present
Spicules equal in size, 1,930-2,700 um long with a tubular structure, pointed distal ends and minimal wings extending distally,
Gubernacula 159-172 um long, broad-based, with raised lateral parts directed anteriorly giving an anchor shape

Females:

1.4-2.4 cm long,
Ovijectors length was 1,110-1,448 um, with ther anterior part several times longer than the posterior.
Vulva a transverse slits located 4.8-6.0 mm from the tail tip.

Ref: Panayotova-Pencheva et al., 2024

Reported median body size for this species (Length mm; width micrometers; weight micrograms) - Click:

Patagonian maras, Dolichotis patagonum, are relatively large rodents of the Caviidae family that are endemic to South America, mainly Argentina, They are exhibited in zoologicalgardens worldwide, which aids their conservation. In the wild, they are are considered a threatened species with diverse health hazards. Among their nematode parasites are Graphidioides affinis, Trichostrongylus retortaeformis, Strongyloides sp., Wellcomia dolichotis and Trichuris spp. (Panayotova-Pencheva et al., 2024).

Life cycle probably direct, eggs and larvae are deposited in the feces of maras and would be ingested during feeding.

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Hosts:

Patagonian maras, Dolichotis patagonum,

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Feeding:

Intestinal parasites

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Life Cycle:

Probanly direct; rodents becoming infected byfeeding on plant material contaminated by host droppings containing eggs and larvae.

For Ecophysiological Parameters for this species, click	If species level data are not available, click for genus level parameters

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Damage:

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Management:

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References:

Panayotova-Pencheva, M., Laskowski, Z., Pyziel, A.M. 2024. Morphological and molecular characterisation of the nematode parasite Graphidioides affinis (Secernentea: Trichostrongylidae) in Patagonian maras, Dolichotis patagonum, kept in a zoo in Sofia, Bulgaria. J Vet Res 68: 363-371.

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