Habronema

Habronema	Contents	Rev: 10/28/2025
	Classification	Biology and Ecology
	Morphology and Anatomy	Life Cycle
Return to Habronema Menu		Ecosystem Functions and Services
	Distribution	Management
Return to Habronematidae Menu	Feeding	References
	Go to Nemaplex Main Menu	Go to Dictionary of Terminology

Classification:

Chromadorea
Chromadoria
Rhabditida: Spirurina
Habronematoidea
Habronematidae

Habronema Diesing, 1861

Many species have described for the genus Habronema. Only 4 or 5 are currently considered to be valid.

Synonyms:

Morphology and Anatomy:

Habronema clarki Foster & Chitwood, 1937 (male - anterior). Image from Hoppe et al., 2014.

Note the trifurcate pseudolabia with a round amphid at their base and the simple dorsal and ventral lips.

Adult Habronema are white and have a cylindrical buccal cavity.

Females:

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

Males:

Distribution:

Parasites of the stomach of horses and donkeys worldwide

Habronema clarki is reported from capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris, the largest of rodents and a semi-aquatic) of central and South America.

Feeding:

Food Sources and Feeding strategies for the genus Habronema

Feeding and living in nodules in the walls of the stomach.

Biology and Ecology:

Like Draschia megastoma, Habronema spp cause large fibrous nodules in the upper stomach. The nematodes live in colonies in the nodules.

The nodules may protrude into the lumen of the stomach causing mechanical dysfunction.

The larvae are important pathogens. They cause persistent cutaneous granulomas called cutaneous habronemiasis (summer sore) and persistent conjunctivitis with nodular thickening and ulceration of the eyelid of equine hosts (Marchiondo and Cruthers, 2020).

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Life Cycle:

For Ecophysiological Parameters for this genus, click

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Ecosystem Functions and Services:

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Management:

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References:

Hoppe, E.G.L., Tebaldi, J.H., Ferreira, D.F. 2014. Detailed morphological description of Habronema clarki Foster & Chitwood, 1937, a nematode parasite of capybaras Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (Linnaeus, 1766) in Brazil. Rev. Bras. Parasitol. Vet. 23

Marchiondo, A.A., Cruthers, L.R. 2020. Nematoda, Spirurida. Chapter 2 in Marchiondo, Cruthers and Fourie (eds) Parasiticide Screening Vol 2. Academic Press