Hugotdiplogaster

Hugotdiplogaster	Contents	Rev: 05/29/2025
	Classification	Biology and Ecology
	Morphology and Anatomy	Life Cycle
Return to Hugotdiplogaster Menu		Ecosystem Functions and Services
	Distribution	Management
Return to Diplogastridae Menu	Feeding	References
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Classification:

Chromadorea: Chromadoria; Rhabditina
Diplogastroidea: Diplogastridae

Hugotdiplogaster Morand & Barker, 1995
Type species of the genus: Hugotdiplogaster neozelandia Morand & Barker, 1995

Synonyms:

Morphology and Anatomy:

Hugotdiplogaster differs from other genera in the Diplogastridae by the shape of the stoma and by possessing a very large, robust gubernaculum.

Oral opening round, lips absent, stoma very simples, circular, rhabdions fused, without denticles.

Females:

Cuticular projection covering the vulva aperture.
Didelphic, amphidelphic

Ref: Morand and Barker, 1955

Hugotdiplogaster neozelandia Left: female anterior; Right: male spicules and gunernaculum
Drawings adapted from Morand and Barker, 1995

Males:

Spicules fused distally,
Gubernaculum robust larger than spicules with complex shape;
9 pairs of male genital papillae;

Body size range for the species of this genus in the database - Click:

Distribution:

Type species isolated from an endemic slug in New Zealand.

Feeding:

Food Sources and Feeding strategies for the genus Hugotdiplogaster

Type species a parasite of the genital tract of Athoracophorus bitentaculatus, a slug endemic in New Zealand. .

Biology and Ecology:

Hugotdiplogaster neozelandia is the first time that a diplogasterid has been reported associated with a mollusc.

The localisation of the nematode in the genital tract of slugs raises questions about its life cycle and effect on the host.

Parasitism of the genital tract in terrestrial Mollusca occurs in other groups of nematodes (Morand & Petter 1986; Morand & Hommay 1990). Hosts can be infected during copulation,

Currently there no information is available on the effect of Hugotdiplogaster neozelandia on its host (Morand and Barker, 1995).

Life Cycle:

For Ecophysiological Parameters for this genus, click

Ecosystem Functions and Services:

Morand, S. and Barker, G.M. 1995. Hugotdiplogaster neozelandia n. gen., n. sp. (Nematoda: Diplogasteridae), a parasite of the New Zealand endemic slug, Athoracophorus bitentaculatus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1832) (Gastropoda: Athoracophoridae). New Zealand J. Zoology 22:109-113.

Morand, S. and Hommay, G. 1990: Redescription de Agfa flexilis Dujardin, 1845 (Nematoda, Agfidae) parasite de l'appareil genital de Limax cinereoniger Wolf (Gastropoda, Limacidae). Systematic parasitology 15: 127-132.

Morand, S. and Petter, A. J. 1986: Nemhelix bakeri n. gen., n. sp. (Nematoda: Cosmocercidae) parasite de l'appareil genital de Helix aspersa (Gastropoda: Helicidae) en France. Canadian J Zoology 64: 2008-2011.