A NEW HAIRY NEMATODE FOUND IN MOLE CRICKET FROM LOKTAK LAKE, MANIPUR

Abstract

The present paper describes about a new hairy nematode infecting a burrowing insect, a mole cricket. While conducting a taxonomic survey of parasitic nematodes, a group of unique hairy nematodes was recovered from the intestine of a mole cricket, Gryllotalpa africana inhabiting on the floating vegetation of the Loktak Lake, Manipur. The present nematode belongs to the family Chitwoodiellidae and order Oxyurida. This specimen is completely different from all other known genera and has many morphologically distinctive different characters. The peculiarity of this nematode was the presence of numerous short slender hairy bristles covering the entire body except some specific areas such as oral region and part of the tail. The specific diagnostic differences from its closest relatives were discussed in detail. On the basis of characters mentioned above, the present nematode is proposed as a new genus and new species, described as Furrinema loktakensis.