The genus name Filaria Mueller, 1787 was first used generally for thread-like nematode parasites found in body cavities of their hosts (Stiles & Hassall, 1922). The genus Filaria was later split into different genera distinguished by characters which often had not been considered in the original descriptions .(Guerrero and Bain, 2011).

Type species of the genus: Filaria martis Gmelin, 1790

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Morphology and Anatomy:

• Mouth with 4 small lips
• Cervical and submedian cephalic papillae
• Cuticle smooth, lateral alae on entire length of body
• Narrow vestibule between stoma and esophagus
• Esophagus with muscular anterior and glandular poseterior

Female:

• Tail thick, digitat
• Terminal partm of intestine atrophied, anus very small
• Vulva very large, anterior, near oral aperture
• Monodelphic, opistodelphic
• Oviparous

Male:

• Posterior end spiralled
• Caudal alae long, wide, unite beyond tail tip; become lateral alae anterior to cloaca
• Shor papillae present anterior and posterior to cloaca
• Spicules: left larger thasn right
• No gubernaculum

Ref: Stiles, 2024

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Distribution:

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Economic Importance:

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Feeding:

Food Sources and Feeding strategies for the genus Filaria

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Hosts:

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Life Cycle:

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Damage:

The  genus Filaria (sensu strictu) includes nematodes that parasitize the subcutaneous tissues of several wild animals usually without evoking a significant inflammatory response. The nematodes are parasites of Mustelidae (the largest family of the Carnivora, including weasels, badgers, otters, ferrets, martens, minks and wolverines) and some African mammals . They are transmitted by blood-seeking arthropods, predominantly mosquitoes and ticks (Otranto et al., 2007)..

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Management:

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References:

Guerrero, R. and Bain, O. 2011. Study of types of some species of “Filaria” (Nematoda) parasites of small mammals described by von Linstow and Molin . Parasite 18:151-161.

Otranto, D.,Lia, R.P., Cantacessi, C., Brianti, E. Traversa, D. Giannetto, S. 2007. Filaria martis Gmelin 1790 (Spirurida, Filariidae) affecting beech marten (Martes foina): morphological description and molecular characterisation of the cytochrome oxidase c subunit I. Parasitol Res DOI 10.1007/s00436-007-0554-3

Stiles C.W. and  Hassall A. 1922. Index-Catalogue of medical and veterinarian zoology subjects: round-worms (Nematoda, Gordiacea and Acanthocephala) and the diseases they cause. United States Public Health Service Laboratory. Bulletin N° 114. Government printing office, Washington,  886 p

Stiles, S.O.S.F. 2024. Characetristics of individual genera and speceis of subfamil Filariinae Stiles, 1907. I. Genus Filaria Mueller, 1787 Generic diagnosis:  Key to Parasitic Nematodes, Volume 1 Spirurata and Filariata, 1, p.270.

Study of types of some species of “Filaria” (Nematoda) parasites of small mammals described by von Linstow and Molin

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Copyright © 1999 by Howard Ferris.
Revised: May 30, 2025.