Draschia		Contents		Rev: 10/28/2025
Equine Stomach Worm		Classification		Biology and Ecology
		Morphology and Anatomy		Life Cycle
Return to Draschia 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

Draschia (Rudolphi, 1819) Chitwood & Wehr, 1934

Type species of genus: Draschia megastoma (Rudolphi, 1819) Chitwood & Wehr, 1934

    Synonyms:

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Morphology and Anatomy:

• Head with a funnel-shaped buccal cavity and separated from the rest of the body by a constriction.

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Distribution:

Worldwide

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Feeding:

Food Sources and Feeding strategies for the genus Draschia

Parasite in the upper part (fundus) of the stomach of horses.

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Biology and Ecology:

An important pathogen, causing large fibrous nodules in which the nematodes live in colonies. Nodules project into the stomach and disrupt its activity (Marchiondo and Cruthers, 2020).

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Life Cycle:

Life cycle involves an intermediate host.

•  L1 is ingested by fly larvae (Musca and Pseudopyrellia species) and develop to L2 in the Malpighian tubule causing large nodules.
• The L2 break out of the nodules and develop to the infective L3 that migrate to the fly�s labium.
• The L3 are passed out and deposited around the mouth, lips, and nose of the horse; they are swallowed, and develop in the stomach.
• The prepatent period of D. megastoma is about 2 months (Marchiondo and Cruthers, 2020)

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Ecosystem Functions and Services:

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Management:

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References:

Copyright 1999 by Howard Ferris.
Revised: October 28, 2025.