Rhabdochona		Contents		Rev: 11/07/2022
		Classification		Biology and Ecology
		Morphology and Anatomy		Life Cycle
Return to Rhabdochona Menu				Ecosystem Functions and Services
		Distribution		Management
Return to Rhabdochonidae Menu		Feeding		References
		Go to Nemaplex Main Menu		Go to Dictionary of Terminology

Classification:

Chromadorea
Chromadoria

           Rhabditida 

                       Spirurina

                          Thelazioidea

                   Rhabdochonidae

 

            Rhabdochona Railliet, 1916

Parasites of freshwater fish.

Back to Top

Morphology and Anatomy:

According to Moravec, 2010, it appears that, during the evolution of Rhabdochona spp., there has been :

• an  increase in the number of anterior prostomal teeth, loss of lateral alae,
• evolution of the boat-like shape and dorsal barb of the right spicule
• evolution of a more complex structure of the distal tip of the left spicule;
• the eggs with a smooth surface are considered to be more primitive.
• Nematodes of this genus most probably originated in the region of present southern Asia at the beginning of the Tertiary.

Back to Top

Distribution:

Widely distributed, around 100 nominal species which are taxonomically disrtributed among subgenera that include Globochona, Globachonoides, Rhabdochona, Sinonema (Maravec and Muzzell, 2007).

Back to Top

Feeding:

Intestinal parasites of mostly freshwater fish (the definitive hosts). In the few species that have been described from other hosts, e.g. R. edantati and R. pulaeria, Moravec (2010) considers that the hosts represent secondary infection acquired from feeding on the definitive fish hosts.

Alternative apparent host records may be from predatory fishes acquiring infection by the ingestion of obligatory definitive hosts (fishes) (so called postcyclic hosts) or various other fishes that became infected by the parasite while feeding on infected intermediate hosts (aquatic insects) (i.e., paratenic hosts). (Moravec and Muzzell, 2007).

Back to Top

Biology and Ecology:

Back to Top

Life Cycle:

Intermediate hosts, where known, include various freshwater aquatic insects such as mayglies (Ephemeroptera) and caddis flies (Trichoptera) (Moravec and Muzzell, 2007).

Back to Top

Ecosystem Functions and Services:

Back to Top

Management:

Back to Top

References:

Moravec, F. 2010. Some aspects of the taxonomy, biology, possible evolution and biogeography of nematodes of the spirurine genus Rhabdochona Railliet, 1916 (Rhabdochonidae, Thelazioidea). Acta Parasitologica 55:144-160.

Moravec F., Muzzall P. 2007. Redescription of Rhabdochona cotti (Nematoda, Rhabdochonidae) from Cottus caeruleomentum (Teleostei, Cottidae) in Maryland, USA, with remarks on the taxonomy of North American Rhabdochona spp. Acta Parasitologica, 52, 51–57. DOI: 10.2478/s11686-006-0049-x.

Back to Top

Copyright © 1999 by Howard Ferris.
Revised: November 07, 2022.