Melomystrongylus

Melomystrongylus	Contents	Rev: 08/24/2026
	Classification	Biology and Ecology
	Morphology and Anatomy	Life Cycle
Return to Melomystrongylus Menu		Ecosystem Functions and Services
	Distribution	Management
Return to Heligmonellidae Menu	Feeding	References
	Go to Nemaplex Main Menu	Go to Dictionary of Terminology

Classification:

Chromadoria
Rhabditida: Rhabditina
Infraorder Rhabditomorpha
Heligmosomoidea: Heligmonellidae
Nippostrongylinae

Melomystrongylus Smales, 2009
Type species of genus: Melomystrongylus sepikensis Smales, 2009

Synonyms:

Morphology and Anatomy:

Synlophe well developed with pointed ridges; in midbody axis of orientation of ridges passing through ventral right and dorsal left sides inclined about 65 degrees from sagittal axis in anterior body, lacking clear orientation in mid and hind body. Ventral ridge 5' hypertrophied anteriorly.
Parasites of hydromyine murids

Ref: Smales, 2009

Emended Diagnosis (Durette-Desset and Diginai (2023):

Synlophe without careen. Within anterior third of body, 9-2 ridges; presence of one ventral comarete; ridges irregularly spaced; right ridge and dorsal adjacent ridge largest; other ridges unequal in size and small. At mid-body, 14-17 ridges medium-sized to small, irregularly spaced. Axis of orientation oblique within proximal part, uncertain in midbody.

Females:

Males:

Bursa asymmetrical with larger left lobe. Dorsal ray divided distal to level of branching of rays 8 from dorsal trunk.
Characteristic bursal pattern of type 1-3-1 (only known in M. somoroensis).

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

Feeding:

Food Sources and Feeding strategies for the genus Melomystrongylus

Gastro-intestinal parasites of rodents. Species reported from Melomys rufescens, Paramelomys rubex (Durette-Desset and Digiani, 2023).

Life Cycle:

For Ecophysiological Parameters for this genus, click

Ecosystem Functions and Services:

Durette-Desset, M-C. Digiani, M.C., 2023. Revision of the genera of Heligmonellidae (Nematoda, Heligmosomoidea), parasitic in Muridae from New Guinea. Parasite 2023 Dec 20;30:63. doi: 10.1051/parasite/2023058

Smales LR. 2009. Helminths of Melomys rufescens and Melomys spp. (Muridae: Hydromyinae) from Papua New Guinea with the descriptions of a new genus and five new species in the Heligmonellidae (Nematoda: Trichostrongyloidea). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 57:5-15.