Rev: 11/07/2024
Parasites of freshwater fish.
According to Moravec, 2010, it appears that, during the evolution of Rhabdochona spp., there has been :
Widely distributed, around 100 nominal species which are taxonomically disrtributed among subgenera that include Globochona, Globachonoides, Rhabdochona, Sinonema (Maravec and Muzzell, 2007).
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).
According to Moravec et al., 2008, in spite of their frequent occurrence in paratenic (not definitive) hosts, individual species of Rhabdochona seem to be more definitive-host specific than generally believed and most species are adapted to fish hosts belonging to the same family, subfamily or genus.
Intermediate hosts, where known, include various freshwater aquatic insects such as mayglies (Ephemeroptera) and caddis flies (Trichoptera) (Moravec and Muzzell, 2007).
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., Jirku, M. 2014. Rhabdochona spp. (nematoda: rhabdochonidae) from fishes in the Central african republic, including three new species. Folia Parasitologika, 61:157-172.
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.
Moravec, F., Riha, M., Kuchta, R. 2008. Two new nematode species, Paragendria papuanensis sp. n. (Seuratoidea) and Rhabdochona papuanensis sp. n. (Thelazioidea), from freshwater fishes in Papua New Guinea. Folia Parasitologica 55:127-135.