Parafilaroides gullandae		Contents		Rev 02/08/2024
Filaroid Lungworms		Classification		Biology and Ecology
		Morphology and Anatomy		Life Cycle
Return to Parafilaroides Menu				Ecosystem Functions and Services
		Distribution		Management
Return to Filaroididae Menu		Feeding		References
		Go to Nemaplex Main Menu		Go to Dictionary of Terminology

Classification:

Chromadorea

  Rhabditia

    Rhabditida

      Metastrongyloidea

        Filaroididae

      Back to Top

Morphology and Anatomy:

• Delicate nematodes with transparent cuticular sheath
• Longitudinal cuticular striae the length of body
• Body  gradually tapered anteriorly.
• Oral opening circular, Buccal capsule 1.1–4.4 um long.
• Esophagus clavate, simple,short,  muscular.
• Paired ventral excretory glands connect to common excretory duct opening near nerve ring at about 30% of esophagus length.
•  .Tail wide, bluntly rounded terminally, anus subterminal with transverse opening.
• Phasmids terminal, posterior to anus

	Female:   Vulva anterior to subterminal anus, both with transverse openings. Vaginal sphincter consists of a single undivided muscle. Prodelphic Males:   Spicules of equal length, 42 um Small gunernaculum. Caudal papillae on tail Ref: Dailey, 2006
Parafilaroides gullandae. Top left: Female anterior showing ventral excratory glands and duct, esophagus and nerve ring; Top Right: Male anterior; Lower Left:: Female posterior with vulva and subterminal anus ; Lower right: Male posterior with spicules and gubernaculum.  Upper Bars = 60 um, Lower bars = 30 um. Drawings from Dailey, 2006
Reported median body size for this species (Length mm; width micrometers; weight micrograms) - Click:

Back to Top

Distribution:

Described from Pacific harbor seals, Tomales Bay, California, USA.

Back to Top

Feeding:

 Filaroid parasites of the mucosa of lung parenhyma and alveoli of the Pacific harbor seal (Phoca vitulina).

Back to Top

Biology and Ecology:

Back to Top

Life Cycle:

Intermediate hosts are probably fish although life cycle not well known (Dailey, 2006).

Ecophysiological Parameters:

Back to Top

Ecosystem Functions and Services:

Back to Top

Management:

Back to Top

References:

Anderson, R.C. 2009. Keys to the nematode parasites of vertebrates: archival volume. https://doi.org/10.1079/9781845935726.0178

Carrero, R.A., Nadler, S.A. 2022. Phylogenetic analysis of the lungworms (nematoda: Metastrongyloidea) inferred using nuclear ribosomal and mitochondrial DNA sequences. The Journal of Parasitology 108: 441-452\

Dailey, M.D. 2006. Restoration of Parafilaroides (Dougherty, 1946) (Nematoda: Metastrongyloidea) with description of two new species from pinnipeds of eastern central Pacific. J. Parasitol. 93:589-594.

Back to Top

Copyright © 1999 by Howard Ferris.
Revised: February 08, 2024.