Aquatic Parasite Observatory

Rhabdias spp. (Stiles & Hassall, 1905)

• Species Name: Rhabdias spp. (Stiles & Hassall, 1905)
• Synonyms: Ophiorhabdias (Yamaguti, 1943); Shorttia (Singh & Ratnamala, 1977)
• Taxonomy: (Stiles & Hassall, 1905) Animalia, Nematoda, Secernentea, Rhabditida, Rhabditidae, Rhabdias spp.
• Life Cycle: The life cycles of this genus can vary and some intermediate hosts are used. The species infective to anurans penetrate the skin and then migrate to the lungs. Once inside the parasites molt and migrate into the lungs, where they mature into gravid adults. Rhabdias species that infect anurans were poorly suited for using a transport host (Langford and Janovy, 2009).
• Description:
• Adult as described in Anderson et al., 2009:
  1. Buccal cavity reduced with thin wall devoid of onchia. Outer layers of cuticle usually inflated. Cephalic extremity without lips of with six lips or pairs of pseudolabia. Onchia absent from wall of buccal cavity. Parasites of lungs and body cavity of amphibians and reptiles.
• Sources: Anderson, R.C., Chabaud, A.G., and Willmott, S. 2009. Keys to the Nematode Parasites of Vertebrates: Archival Volume, p. 39.
  Langford, G.J. and Janovy Jr., J. 2009. Comparative Life Cycles and Life Histories of North American Rhabdias spp. (Nematoda: Rhabdiasidae): Lungworms from snakes and anurans. Journal of Parasitology, Vol. 95, Issue 5, p. 1145–1155.
• APO Parasite Records: (by Life Cycle)
• Adult

  1. Host Species	Host Common Name	Site(s) of Infection
     Acris crepitans	Northern cricket frog	Lungs
     Anaxyrus americanus	American toad	Lungs
     Anaxyrus boreas	Western toad	Lungs
     Pseudacris maculata	Boreal chorus frog	Lungs
     Pseudacris regilla	Pacific chorus frog	Lungs
     Rana aurora	Northern red-legged frog	Lungs
     Rana clamitans	Green frog	Lungs
     Rana palustris	Pickerel frog	Lungs
     Rana pipiens	Northern leopard frog	Lungs
     Rana sphenocephala	Southern leopard frog	Lungs
     Rana sylvatica	Wood frog	Lungs
     Taricha torosa	California newt	Lungs
     Taricha granulosa	Rough-skinned newt	Lungs