Serpentirhabdias viperidicus		Contents		Rev 09/24/2026
Lungworm of snakes		Classification		Biology and Ecology
		Morphology and Anatomy		Life Cycle
Return to Serpentirhabdias Menu				Ecosystem Functions and Services
		Distribution		Management
Return to Rhabdiasidae Menu		Feeding		References
		Go to Nemaplex Main Menu		Go to Dictionary of Terminology

Classification:

Synonyms:

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Morphology and Anatomy:

Serpentirhabdias viperidicus differs from other species mainly by a combination of characters: lips slightly notable, presence of fine striations at posterior ends, presence of two parallel lines with intercalated pores, a pore-shaped phasmid situated at the level of the anal aperture and another two in the posterior half of the tail.

Characteristics:

• Thin, elongate body with thin cuticle, slightly thicker in posterior end of tail  Cuticle  regularly transversely striated in anterior region.
• Oral opening wide, rounded, with six small lips in two lateral groups. Lateral lip slightly smaller than submedian lip.
• Six small inner labial papillae; amphidial openings conspicuous.
• Buccal cavity a very short vestibulum; six minute onchia located inconspicuously anterior to mid length of esophastome mid length; two onchia on each sector of esophagus.
• Esophagus club-shaped, 5% of body length, with posterior dilatation wider than anterior end of esophagus; nerve-ring at esophagus mid-length.
• Excretory pore situated immediately posterior to nerve-ring; larger and small excretory glands
•  Intestine thick-walled, rectum short, funnel-shaped.

Serpentirhabdias viperidicus: top: entire nematode; bottm right: anterior; lower left: posterior Drawings adapted from Morais et al., 2016
Male:   Not seen Ref: Morais et al., 2017	Female: Typical of the family Rhabdiasidae, amphidelphic with anterior and posterior ovaries. Vulva pre-equatorial with small lips, transverse aperture. Vagina short, transverse, ccuticularized; uterus large, sac-like, filled with numerous eggs with embryos at various stage of development Tail narrow, conical, tapering
Reported median body size for this species (Length mm; width micrometers; weight micrograms) - Click:

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Distribution:

Speciers described from the lungs of the lancehead snake,  Bothrops moojeni (Reptilia: Squamata: Serpentes: Viperidae), .in Sao Paulo province, Brazil.

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Feeding:

   Tissues of lungs and pulmonary system

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Biology and Ecology:

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Life Cycle:

Ecophysiological Parameters:

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Ecosystem Functions and Services:

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Management:

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References:

Dias-Souza, M.R., Tkach, V.V., Rebelo, G.L., Neves, J.K.S., Tavares-Costa, L.F.S., Jesus, R.F., Santos, A.S., Trindade, L.F.F., Felix, A.J.S., de Vasconcelos, M.F.T. 2026. Description and phylogenetic position of a new Serpentirhabdias (Nematoda: Rhabdiasidae) from Hydrodynastes gigas (Serpentes: Colubroidea) in Pantanal, Brazil. Parasitology International 14:103297 2026/10/01/ 1383-5769 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.parint.2026.103297

Morais, D.H., Aguiar, A., Muller, M.I., Narciso, R.B., Da Silva, L.A.D. and Da Silva, R.J. 2017. Morphometric and phylogenetic analyses of Serpentirhabdias viperidicus n. sp. (Nematoda: Rhabdiasidae) from the lancehead snake Bothrops moojeni Hoge, 1966 (Reptilia: Serpentes: Viperidae) in Brazil.  Journal of Helminthology 91: 360-370

Tkach, V.V., Kuzmin, Y. and Snyder, S.D. 2014. Molecular insight into systematics, host associations, life cycles and geographic distribution of the nematode family Rhabdiasidae. International Journal for Parasitology 44:273-284.

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Revised by Howard Ferris: September 24, 2026.