New morphological data on the first-stage larvae of two Procamallanus species (Nematoda: Camallanidae) based on SEM studies.

Abstract

First-stage larvae of camallanid nematodes Procamallanus (Procamallanus) laeviconchus (Wedl, 1862) and Procamallanus (Procamallanus) sp. from naturally infected Distichodus niloticus (Hasselquist) and Clarias gariepinus (Burchell), respectively, from Lake Turkana, Kenya (new geographical records) are described, being for the first time studied by scanning electron microscopy. Larvae of both species are characterised by the presence of a dorsal cephalic tooth, four submedian cephalic papillae and a pair of amphids, and by the elongate tail with several terminal digit-like processes. The latter formations probably serve for the attachment of larvae to the substrate in water when the larvae attract copepod intermediate hosts by their movements; these structures, especially their numbers, may be of taxonomic importance in camallanid nematodes.