DIDILIA-OOGLYPTA N-GEN, N-SP (TETRADONEMATIDAE, MERMITHOIDEA, NEMATODA), A PARASITE OF PHLEBOTOMINE SANDFLIES IN AFGHANISTAN

A new tetradonematid nematode in a laboratory colony of Phlebotomus papatasi from Afghanistan is described and named Didilia ooglypta n.g., n. sp. This genus differs from related ones by the extreme anterior position of the vulva and presence of a single gonad in both sexes. After eggs of the nematode are ingested by first instar sandfly larvae, they hatch in the intestine and the juveniles migrate to and develop in the haemocoel. Female nematodes in the haemocoel of adult flies lay eggs by pushing their heads through the abdominal intersegmental membranes of the host. An emended description of the family Tetradonematidae is provided.