Pterygodermatites ondatrae
Encyclopedia
Pterygodermatites ondatrae is a species of parasitic nematode
in the genus Pterygodermatites
. It has been recorded in the hispid cotton rat
(Sigmodon hispidus) in Florida
and Texas
. In Florida, it has also been recorded on the marsh rice rat
(Oryzomys palustris), together with an unnamed species of the same genus, the female of which cannot be distinguished from that of P. ondatrae.
Nematode
The nematodes or roundworms are the most diverse phylum of pseudocoelomates, and one of the most diverse of all animals. Nematode species are very difficult to distinguish; over 28,000 have been described, of which over 16,000 are parasitic. It has been estimated that the total number of nematode...
in the genus Pterygodermatites
Pterygodermatites
Pterygodermatites is a genus of parasitic nematodes in the family Rictulariidae. Species include:*Pterygodermatites jägerskiöldi*Pterygodermatites kozeki*Pterygodermatites ondatrae*Pterygodermatites peromysci...
. It has been recorded in the hispid cotton rat
Hispid Cotton Rat
The Hispid Cotton Rat is a rodent species long thought to occur in parts of South America, Central America, and southern North America. However, recent taxonomic revisions, based on mitochondrial DNA sequence data, have split this widely distributed species into three separate species. Carroll et...
(Sigmodon hispidus) in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. In Florida, it has also been recorded on the marsh rice rat
Marsh Rice Rat
The marsh rice rat is a semiaquatic North American rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found mostly in the eastern and southern United States, from New Jersey and Kansas south to Florida and northeasternmost Tamaulipas, Mexico; its range previously extended further west and north, where it may...
(Oryzomys palustris), together with an unnamed species of the same genus, the female of which cannot be distinguished from that of P. ondatrae.
Literature cited
- Kinsella, J.M. 1974. Comparison of helminth parasites of the cotton rat, Sigmodon hispidus, from several habitats in Florida. American Museum Novitates 2540:1–12.
- Kinsella, J.M. 1988. Comparison of helminths of rice rats, Oryzomys palustris, from freshwater and saltwater marshes in Florida. Proceedings of the Helminthological Society of Washington 55(2):275–280.