Redescription of Filaroides (Parafilaroides) gymnurus (Railliet, 1899) (Nematoda: Metastrongyloidea), with comments on other species in pinnipeds

Abstract

The species Filaroides (Parafilaroides) gymnurus (Railliet, 1899) Anderson, 1978 is redescribed, based on examination of mature fifth-stage specimens from wild infected ringed seals (Phoca hispida), harp seals (Phoca groenlandica), harbour seals (Phoca vitulina), and grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) collected in eastern and arctic Canadian waters. Mature specimens of Filaroides (Parafilaroides) hispidus Kennedy, 1986 from ringed seals and grey seals were also examined. Comparison of these worms with museum specimens and the literature led to a review of species in the subgenus Parafilaroides (Dougherty, 1946) Anderson, 1978. Filaroides (Parafilaroides) gymnurus (Railliet, 1899) Anderson, 1978, F. (P.) decorus (Dougherty and Herman, 1947) Anderson, 1978, F. (P.) hydrurgae (Mawson, 1953) Kennedy, 1986, and F. (P.) hispidus Kennedy, 1986 are recognized as valid species. Filaroides (Parafilaroides) arcticus (Delyamure and Alekseev, 1966) Kennedy, 1986 and F. (P.) krascheninnikovi (Yurakhno and Skrjabin, 1971) Kennedy, 1986 are synonymized with F. (P.) gymnurus (Railliet, 1899) Anderson, 1978. Filaroides (Parafilaroides) caspicus (Kurochkin and Zablotsky, 1958) Kennedy, 1986 is considered a species inquirenda.