Rev 08/15/2023
Chromadorea
Rhabditia
Rhabditida
Rhabditoidea
Rhabditidae
Also considered a synonym of Pellioditis (see Sudhaus, 2023)
Most species are soil-dwelling, facultative, opportunistic parasites of terrestrial gastropod molluscs;, parasites of snails and slugs. The parasite infects slugs in the area beneath the mantle surrounding the shell, causing a disease with characteristic symptoms, particularly swelling of the mantle. Infection leads to death of the slug, usually between seven and 21 days afterwards. The nematode then spreads and multiplies in the cadaver. Study of the genus has accelerated through the search for biological control methods for snails and slugs (Ivanova et al., 2020; Wilson et al., 1993; Wilson and Grewal, 2005).
A large number of gastropod taxa appear to be susceptible to these nematodes. For example,P. hermaphrodita is reported to parasitise members of 15 gastropod families Generally, Phasmarhabditis nematodes are more often found in slugs than snails
Surveys in the USA and South Africa have shown a much higher infestation of invasive compared to native gastropod species by Phasmarhabditis spp. (Ivanova et al., 2020)
Most of the biology of this genus is known from studies on P. hermaphrodita.
Most species (e.g. P. hermaphrodita) are parasites of snails and slugs
Ivanova, E.S., Spiridonov, S.E. 2022. Phasmarhabditis quinamensis sp. n. (Nematoda: Rhabditidae) from tropical terrestrial gastropods in southern Vietnam. Nematology 24:225-239.
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