Parastrongyloides spp. nov. (Nematoda: Rhabditoidea: Strongyloididae) from the small intestine of a monotreme from Australia and a marsupial from the Republic of Colombia

ABSTRACTTwo new species of Parastrongyloides Morgan, 1928 (Nematoda: Rhabditoidea: Strongyloididae) are described, P. tachyglossi, from the small intestine of the short-beaked echidna, Tachyglossus aculeatus (Shaw, 1792) from southeastern New South Wales and northern Queensland and P. caenolesti from the small intestine of the common grey or dusky shrew opossum, Caenolestes fuliginosus (Tomes, 1863) from Parames du Puruce, the Republic of Colombia. The two new species are distinguished from each other by the position of the two pairs of caudal papillae of P. tachyglossi immediately pre- and post-cloacal in contrast to those in P. caenolesti which are distant from the cloacal aperture and by the generally smaller sizes of males and females of P. caenolesti and the presence of a minute terminal papilla or spine on the tail tip of male P. tachyglossi. They are distinguished from seven of the eight known species of Parastrongyloides by the absence of a single, median, dome-shaped papilla anterior to the cloac...