Rev: 10/15/2026
Geopetitia Chabaud, 1951
Type species of the genus: Geopetitia pari Chabaud, 1951
Synonyms:
Extreme sexual dimorphism: females with anterior portion swollen and tail more slender, males vermiform.
Females: Males:
Cosmopolitan distribution. Parasitism by Geopetitia spp. occurst in terrestrial birds in Africa, Australia, South and Central America (Kinsella and Forrester, 2008).
Food Sources and Feeding strategies for the genus Geopetitia
Parasites of the proventriculus of domestic and wild birds
The term tetrameridosis is applied to diseases of wild and domestic birds caused by nematodes of the genera Tetrameres, Microtetrameres and Geopetitia (family Tetrameridae).
Like Tetrameres spp., species of Geopetitia encyst in a fibrous capsule in the tunica muscularis of the proventriculus or in the wall of the esophagus or the gizzard. They differ from Tetrameres in that, often, there are several females per cyst rather than one (Anderson 2000).
Life cycle indirect; embryonated eggs are passed in the feces and ingested by intermediate hosts. The definitive hosts are mainly terrestrial and intermediate hosts are usually arthropods, including beetles, Orthoptera and cockroaches..
In typical terestrial life cycles, the juvenile nematodes develop to the infectiv J3 stage in the intermediate host. They are passed to the definitive host when the the intermediate host is ingested by the bird (Kinsella and Forrester, 2008)
Effects of Geopetitia parasitism of birds in the wild is unknown. However, the epizootic and pathogenic potential of G. aspiculata in zoo environments is well documented (Webster, 1971). The natural hosts of G. aspiculata are assumed to be tropical birds of the order Passeriformes and that is the host group most often infected in zoos. Since G. aspiculata does not show host specificity, there is legitimate concern of spread to caged avifauna in both Europe and North America.
A subcutaneous dose of ivermectin or a combination of Panacur and ivermectin given intraperitoneally has been used to control infections of G. aspiculata in zoo birds (Tscherner et al. 1997).(Kinsella and Forrester, 2008).
Anderson R.C. 2000. Nematode Parasites of Vertebrates: Their Development and Transmission. CABI Publishing; Wallingford, UK:
Creplin, F.C.H. 1846. Nachtrage su Gurlt'sVerzeichnissder Thiere, bei welchen Entozoen gefunden worden sind. Arch. Naturgesch, 12:129-160.
Diesing, K. M. 1835. Tropisurus und Thysanosoma, zwey neue gattungen von Binnenwurmen (Entozoen) aus Brasilien. Med. Jahrb. Osterr. St., 7:83-116.
Diesing, K.M. 1851. Systema helminthum. Apud Wilhelmum Braumuller, Vindobonae, 2:vi+l-558.
Kinsella, J.M. and Forrester, D.J. 2008. Tetrameridosis. Chapter 21 in Atkinson, C.T., Thomas, N.J., Hunter, D.B. Parasitic Diseases of Wild Birds. Wiley-Blackwell/
Mollhagen, T.R. 1991. A study of the parasituic nematode genus Tetrameres. I. The literature 1835-1985. Special Publications, The Museum, Texas Tech University No. 35.
Mollhagen, T.R. 1976. A study on the systematics and hosts of the parasitic nematode genus Tetrameres (Habrenematoidea: Tetrameridae). PhD. Dissertaion, Zoology, Texas Tech University.
Tscherner, W., U. Wittstatt, and R. Goltenboth. 1997. Geopetitia aspiculata Webster, 1971�ein pathogener Nematode tropischer Vogel in Zoologischen Garten. Zoologische Garten 67:108-120.
Webster, W. A. 1971. Geopetitia aspiculata sp. n. (Spirurida) from Coerulea coerulea and other imported birds in the National Zoological Park, Washington, DC. Proceedings of the Helminthological Society of Washington 38: 64-68.