Helminths parasitizing the silvery mole-rat, Heliophobiusargenteocinereus (Rodentia: Bathyergidae) from Malawi

Abstract

In the silvery mole-rat, Heliophobius argenteocinereus (Rodentia, Bathyergidae) from Malawi, two helminth species were identified: Protospirura muricola and Inermicapsifer arvicanthidis. mean abundance of these species was 2.8 and 16.5,respectively. For P. muricola, silvery mole-rat is the new host. The morphology of I. arvicanthidis is described. A review of the genus Inermicapsifer with notes on the species parasitizing rodents and man is included. Formulated here is the hypothesis that I. madagascarensis is a tapeworm restricted to man, and that I. arvicanthidis is a generalist parasite of African rodents.