Occurrence of Intestinal Nematode Parasites in Cockroach, Periplaneta americana (L.)

The present study investigates the occurrence of intestinal nematode parasites in the American cockroach, Periplanata americana (Linnaeus). Thousands of species of insect parasitic nematodes not only attack the general insect form, belonging to different orders but also the insect pests of agricultural, veterinary, medical and forestry importance. Classic identification of nematodes is based on morphological and anatomical differences using microscopic image analysis. Morphological identification is among the cheaper identification methods and helps relate morphology with possible function. A total of 200 cockroaches were collected from various locations in Aurangabad city and transported to the Department of Zoology, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad, India for this study. The present communication deals with the taxonomic study of intestinal parasite infection in cockroaches, redescribed of two nematode parasites of P. americana were Hammerschmidtiella diesingi (Hammerschmidt, 1838) Chitwood, 1932 and Thelastoma periplaneticola Leibersperger, 1960 from Aurangabad, (M.S), India. The redescriptions presented in this study enhance our understanding of the morphology and diversity of these parasites, underscoring the necessity for continued research on the intestinal parasite fauna of cockroaches in India.