The gastrointestinal helminths of Rattus verucundus (Rodentia: Muridae) with the description of a new species (Heligmonellidae: Nematoda) from Papua New Guinea and a comment on the Rictulariidae (Nematoda) from the Sahul Region

Abstract

ABSTRACT Cestodes, including Hymenolepis cf diminuta, the acanthocephalan Moniliformis moniliformis and 13 species of nematode, were collected from the digestive tracts of 22 individuals of Rattus verucundus (Murinae: Rattini) from Papua New Guinea. Missimstrongylus oweni n. gen., n. sp. differs from all other genera in the Heligmonellidae in the characters of the synlophe. Nippostrongylinae sp. 1 differs from all other Heligmonellidae and may have been previously reported as Nippostrongylinae sp. 1 from R. niobe. The capillariids Capillaria s. l., and Eucoleus sp., the chabertiid Cyclodontostomum purvisi, the heterakids Heterakis sirawii and H. spumosa, the oxyurid Syphacia niobe, the spirurids Protospirura kaindiensis and P. muricola, the sublurid Subulura andersoni and the trichurid Trichuris muris, have been reported previously from endemic murids. The rictulariid Pterygodermatites whartoni has not been reported previously from New Guinea. Examination of the three species of Australian Rictularia resulted in the reassignment of two to the genus Pterygodermatites. Species richness of the nematode assemblage, as indicated by bootstrap estimates, was similar to those reported from R. niobe, R. giluwensis and R. steini and those individuals of R. leucopus examined from Papua New Guinea. Of the species recovered only Missimstrongylus oweni was unique to R. verucundus.