First description of the male and redescription of the female of Paratrichosoma recurvum (Nematoda: Capillariidae), a skin-invading parasite of crocodiles in Mexico.

Abstract

The first description of the male and a redescription of the female of the nematode Paratrichosoma recurvum (Solger, 1877), a parasite of the abdominal skin of crocodiles, are presented on the basis of specimens collected from Crocodilus moreletii Duméril et Bibron from the Lagoon of Celestún, Yucatan, Mexico. The morphology of P. recurvum proved to be very similar to that of the only other congeneric species, P. crocodylus Ashford et Muller, 1978, but the former differed from the latter in having distinctly protruding polar plugs on eggs, reduced mesenchymal cells at the esophagointestinal junction, and a smooth spicular surface as well as in geographic distribution. The finding of P. recurvum in C. moreletii represents a new host record. Paratrichosoma spp. appear to be widely distributed in tropical countries of different continents and may be of economic importance for crocodile farms.