A new species of Molinema (Nemata: Onchocercidae) in bolivian rodent and emended description of Litomodoides esslingeri Bain, Petit and Diagne, 1989

NOTARNICOLA, JULIANA; JIMENEZ RUIZ A.; GARDNER, S. L.

JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY

AMER SOC PARASITOLOGISTS

Lugar: Washington, Estados Unidos; Año: 2012 vol. 98 p. 1200 - 1208

0022-3395

We report the distribution of 2 species of filarioid nematodes occurring in different hosts in the central region of South America. Molinema boliviensis n. sp. was recorded as parasites of sigmodontine and echymyid rodents in Bolivia, and Litomosoides esslingeri was recorded in sigmodontine and ctenomyid rodents from Bolivia and Argentina. Molinema boliviensis n. sp. shares several similarities with other species reported in spiny-rats, however it can be easily differentiated by the presence of a flat anterior end, gradually tapering lappets and a tubercle present in posterior end, a short uniform buccal capsule, an oval shaped vagina vera, and a ratio of spicules of 1:1.44. An account for the morphological variability of L. esslingeri is presented, which allows the identification of the buccal capsule and shape of spicules as reliable diagnostic traits. The finding of these parasites in phylogenetically unrelated hosts suggests that host capture may be a frequent phenomenon in these filarioids. Researchers should focus efforts in surveying mammals in the same ecological guild to understand the distribution and host specificity of these nemas.