Dipetalonema dracunculoides (Cobbold, 1870), from the Dog in Kenya: with a Note on its Development in the Louse-fly, Hippobosca longipennis

Abstract

1. Dipetalonema dracunculoides (Cobbold, 1870), has been found in dogs (Canis familiaris), in the Turkana District of Kenya and in a hyaena (Crocuta crocuta), in the Southern Rift Valley.2. The dimensions of six male and six female worms agree with previous descriptions from hyaenas and dogs in Africa and from dogs in Portugal.3. Infective larvae were found in seven out of ten Hippobosca longipennis taken from a heavily infected dog.4. Morphologically the infective larvae are similar to those of other Dipetalonema spp., but they are much larger, averaging 2,400μ in length and 35μ in breadth with a tail length of 85μ.5. In Africa the distribution of the parasite coincides with the distribution of H. longipennis on dogs and hyaenas.6. This is the first time that a hippoboscid fly has been incriminated as the vector of a filarial worm. It is suggested that many other filarial species may be transmitted by Hippoboscidae.