Folia Parasitologica 46[1] 53-58 (1999)

Larval development of Onchocamallanus bagarii (Nematoda: Camallanidae) in copepods

Nimai C. De, Rabindra N. Maity

Helminthology Laboratory, Zoology Department, Kalyani University, Kalyani, West Bengal, 741235, India

Larval development of the nematode Onchocamallanus bagarii (Karve et Naik, 1951), recovered from the intestine of the fish Bagarius bagarius (Hamilton) was studied under laboratory conditions. The cyclopoid copepods Mesocyclops leuckarti (Claus) and M. crassus (Fischer) were infected with first-stage larvae from female uteri and maintained at temperatures 29-30°C. After being swallowed by the copepods, first-stage larvae burrow through the intestinal wall and reach the haemocoel of the copepods and there they grow and moult twice to attain the third and infective-stage. First-stage larvae become ensheathed after 65 hours of infection and second-stage larvae first appeared on day 3 post infection (p.i.). The second moult occurred on day 5 p.i. The larval stages occurring during development are described.

Keywords: Nematoda, Onchocamallanus, Copepoda, Mesocyclops, development

Received: April 30, 1997; Accepted: July 16, 1998; Published: March 1, 1999  Show citation