Rhabdias globocephala Kung et Wu, 1945

KUZMIN, YURIY, 2013, Review of Rhabdiasidae (Nematoda) from the Holarctic, Zootaxa 3639 (1), pp. 1-76 : 66

Rhabdias globocephala Kung et Wu, 1945

( Fig. 35 )

Hosts: Microhyla ornata ( Amphibia: Anura : Microhylidae ), Buergeria pollicaris (Rhacophoridae) .

Site: lungs.

Distribution: Eastern Palaearctic ( China).

Description (after Kuzmin 2005). Body slender, anterior end truncated, posterior end tapered. Body length 4.82 (3.18–6.88) mm, maximum width 175 (125–210). Body cuticle inflated. Cuticle at anterior end forming distinct swelling, abrupt on anterior surface and gradually declining posteriorly. Oral opening small, round. Circumoral lips small, papillae reduced. Vestibulum funnel-shaped. Buccal capsule cup-like, wide and shallow, 9 (7–10) deep and 14 (12–17) wide. Walls of buccal capsule completely surrounded by anterior end of oesophagus. Oesophagus distinctly divided into three portions: anterior, mostly muscular one, with somewhat dilated posterior half; comparatively narrow middle portion containing ducts of oesophageal glands; and posterior bulb containing large oesophageal gland nuclei. Width of oesophagus at anterior end 38 (32–42), width of muscular dilation 46 (40–50), minimum width of middle part 35 (30–40), width of posterior bulb 76 (62–87). Oesophagus length 416 (370–510) or 8.9 (7.4–11.8)% of body length. Nerve ring encircling oesophagus just posterior to its muscular portion, at 148 (125–170) from oesophagus anterior end (35.7 [27.4–40.0] % of oesophagus length). Excretory pore situated at level of oesophagus midlength. Excretory duct thin and short, almost straight or slightly curved ventrally. Two excretory glands prominent, subventral in position, equal in size, much shorter than oesophagus, their posterior ends situated behind oesophageal-intestinal junction. Intestine wide. Anterior end of intestine narrower than posterior bulb of oesophagus. Intestinal lumen narrow in anterior part, gradually widening posteriorly. Pre-rectal muscular sphincter obvious. Rectum short, straight, lined with thick cuticle. Genital system amphidelphic, with approximately equal limbs. Vulva slit-like, transverse, situated 2.60 (1.86–3.56) mm from anterior end (54.4 [49.6– 58.5] % of body length). Vulva lips reduced. Eggs in uteri arranged in 1 to 3 longitudinal rows, most eggs containing first-stage larvae. Number of eggs 55 (24–95) in a sample studied. Ovaries almost straight, with proximal ends overlapping level of vulva. Tail conical, tapered, 188 (155–225) long (4.0 [3.0–5.0] % of body length). Phasmids situated laterally, at about middle of tail length. Post-anal ventral inflation of body wall present in some specimens.

Material studied: 17 specimens ( HWML), 15 measured .

References: Kung and Wu (1945), Kuzmin (2005).

Figures

FIGURE 35. R. globocephala. A—general view; B—anterior part of body, lateral view; C—head end, dorso-ventral view; D—head end, lateral view; E—head end, apical view; F—tail end, lateral view; G—region of vulva, lateral view. Scale bars: A—0.3 mm; B, C, E...G—0.1 mm; D—0.05 mm.