TABLE CONTENTS

Nematode Parasites of the Urban Cockroach Periplaneta americana from
Córdoba City, Argentina
Lax, P.
Centro de Zoología Aplicada, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, C.C. 122, 5000, Córdoba, Argentina.
The hindguts of one hundred and fifty cockroaches of Periplaneta americana (nymphs,
females and males) were analyzed with the aim of evaluating the presence of parasitic
nematodes. Insects were collected from households in Córdoba city (Argentina). One
hundred percent of P. americana individuals was parasitized; 95% of cockroaches were
infected by males and females of Thelastoma spp. and Hammerschmidtiella sp., whereas
different juvenile stages were observed in the remaining 5%. Prevalence was 83% for the
genus Thelastoma and 79% for Hammerschmidtiella; mean infection abundance was 2.3 and
3.6, respectively. Sixty six percent of cockroaches were simultaneously parasitized by both
genera. The degree of infection did not depend on the sex of the host, neither was it
correlated with the developmental stage of the insect (nymphs or adults). Further studies are
needed to determine the nematodes’ species identity and, at the same time, to elucidate local
nematode species richness in P. americana.
5 th International Congress of Nematology, 2008 12