''Gongylonema'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of thread-like

nematode The nematodes ( or grc-gre, Νηματώδη; la, Nematoda) or roundworms constitute the phylum Nematoda (also called Nemathelminthes), with plant-Parasitism, parasitic nematodes also known as eelworms. They are a diverse animal phylum inhab ...

that was described by Molin in 1857. It is the only currently valid genus in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Gongylonematidae, though the mysterious '' Spiruroides'' – usually placed in the Subuluridae, which are not closely related to ''Gongylonema'' among the

Spiruria Subclass Spiruria comprises mostly parasitic secernentean nematodes. In an alternate classification, they are treated as suborder Spirurina, with the orders listed here being ranked as infraorders. The Ascaridida and the Oxyurida, which include ...

– might actually belong here. They are

parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

s of

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

s and

mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...

s, transmitted by

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

s (especially

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

s). Some 38

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

are known, about 12 of which have been recorded in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

. Several species are significant parasites of domestic animals, causing

gongylonemiasis ''Gongylonema'' is a genus of thread-like nematode that was described by Molin in 1857. It is the only currently valid genus in the family Gongylonematidae, though the mysterious '' Spiruroides'' – usually placed in the Subuluridae, which are ...

. Human infection by these nematodes is very rare: since its discovery fewer than 100 people have been reported to be infected with these parasites, always with the species '' G. pulchrum''.

Species

* '' Gongylonema aegypti'' Ashour & Lewis, 1986 * '' Gongylonema aequispicularis'' Kadenazii, 1957 * ''

Gongylonema alecturae ''Gongylonema'' is a genus of thread-like nematode that was described by Molin in 1857. It is the only currently valid genus in the family Gongylonematidae, though the mysterious '' Spiruroides'' – usually placed in the Subuluridae, which are ...

'' Johnston & Mawson, 1942 * ''

Gongylonema baylisi ''Gongylonema'' is a genus of thread-like nematode that was described by Molin in 1857. It is the only currently valid genus in the family Gongylonematidae, though the mysterious '' Spiruroides'' – usually placed in the Subuluridae, which ar ...

'' Freitas & Lent, 1937 * ''

Gongylonema beveridgei ''Gongylonema'' is a genus of thread-like nematode that was described by Molin in 1857. It is the only currently valid genus in the family Gongylonematidae, though the mysterious '' Spiruroides'' – usually placed in the Subuluridae, which ar ...

'' Mawson, 1971 * ''

Gongylonema brevispiculum ''Gongylonema'' is a genus of thread-like nematode that was described by Molin in 1857. It is the only currently valid genus in the family Gongylonematidae, though the mysterious '' Spiruroides'' – usually placed in the Subuluridae, which ar ...

'' Seurat, 1914 * ''

Gongylonema caucasica ''Gongylonema'' is a genus of thread-like nematode that was described by Molin in 1857. It is the only currently valid genus in the family Gongylonematidae, though the mysterious '' Spiruroides'' – usually placed in the Subuluridae, which ar ...

'' Kurashvili, 1941 * ''

Gongylonema confusum ''Gongylonema'' is a genus of thread-like nematode that was described by Molin in 1857. It is the only currently valid genus in the family Gongylonematidae, though the mysterious '' Spiruroides'' – usually placed in the Subuluridae, which ar ...

'' Sonsino, 1896 * ''

Gongylonema congolense ''Gongylonema'' is a genus of thread-like nematode that was described by Molin in 1857. It is the only currently valid genus in the family Gongylonematidae, though the mysterious '' Spiruroides'' – usually placed in the Subuluridae, which ar ...

'' Fain, 1955 * ''

Gongylonema dipodomysi ''Gongylonema'' is a genus of thread-like nematode that was described by Molin in 1857. It is the only currently valid genus in the family Gongylonematidae, though the mysterious '' Spiruroides'' – usually placed in the Subuluridae, which ar ...

'' Kruidenier & Peebles, 1958 * ''

Gongylonema dupuisi ''Gongylonema'' is a genus of thread-like nematode that was described by Molin in 1857. It is the only currently valid genus in the family Gongylonematidae, though the mysterious '' Spiruroides'' – usually placed in the Subuluridae, which ar ...

'' Quentin, 1965 * ''

Gongylonema fotedari ''Gongylonema'' is a genus of thread-like nematode that was described by Molin in 1857. It is the only currently valid genus in the family Gongylonematidae, though the mysterious '' Spiruroides'' – usually placed in the Subuluridae, which ar ...

'' Gupta & Trivedi, 1986 * ''

Gongylonema graberi ''Gongylonema'' is a genus of thread-like nematode that was described by Molin in 1857. It is the only currently valid genus in the family Gongylonematidae, though the mysterious '' Spiruroides'' – usually placed in the Subuluridae, which ar ...

'' Barre, 1980 * ''

Gongylonema ingluvicola ''Gongylonema ingluvicola'' is a species in the genus ''Gongylonema''. It is one of the spirurid nematodes that infect a vast array of animals throughout the world. Infections have been noted in both humans and in animals ranging from cows to bi ...

'' Ransom, 1904 * '' Gongylonema longispiculum'' Schulz, 1927 * ''

Gongylonema macrogubernaculum ''Gongylonema'' is a genus of thread-like nematode that was described by Molin in 1857. It is the only currently valid genus in the family Gongylonematidae, though the mysterious '' Spiruroides'' – usually placed in the Subuluridae, which ar ...

'' Lubimov, 1931 * '' Gongylonema madeleinensis'' Diouf, Bâ, Marchand & Vassiliadès, 1997 * '' Gongylonema marsupialis'' Vaz & Pereira, 1934 * '' Gongylonema mesasiatica'' Sultanov, 1961 * '' Gongylonema metopidiusi'' Gupta & Kumar, 1977 * '' Gongylonema mexicanum'' Caballero & Zerecero, 1944 * '' Gongylonema minimum'' Molin, 1857 * '' Gongylonema monnigi'' * ''

Gongylonema mucronatum ''Gongylonema'' is a genus of thread-like nematode that was described by Molin in 1857. It is the only currently valid genus in the family Gongylonematidae, though the mysterious '' Spiruroides'' – usually placed in the Subuluridae, which are ...

'' Seurat, 1916 * '' Gongylonema musculi''

Rudolphi Karl Asmund Rudolphi (14 July 1771 – 29 November 1832) was a Swedish-born German naturalist, who is credited with being the "father of helminthology". Life Rudolphi was born in Stockholm to German parents. He was awarded his PhD in 1793 a ...

, 1819 * ''

Gongylonema neoplasticum ''Gongylonema neoplasticum'' (more famously as ''Spiroptera carcinoma'') is a roundworm parasite of rats. It was discovered by a Danish physician Johannes Fibiger in 1907. Fibiger and Hjalmar Ditlevsen made a formal description in 1914 as ''Spir ...

'' Fibiger & Ditlevsen, 1914 * ''

Gongylonema pacoi ''Gongylonema'' is a genus of thread-like nematode that was described by Molin in 1857. It is the only currently valid genus in the family Gongylonematidae, though the mysterious '' Spiruroides'' – usually placed in the Subuluridae, which are ...

'' Hernandez & Gutierrez, 1992 * '' Gongylonema pithyusensis'' Mas-Coma, 1977 * '' Gongylonema problematicum'' Schulz, 1924 * ''

Gongylonema pulchrum ''Gongylonema pulchrum'' is the only parasite of the genus ''Gongylonema'' capable of infecting humans. ''Gongylonema pulchrum'' infections are due to humans acting as accidental hosts for the parasite. There are seven genera of spirudia nematod ...

'' Molin, 1857 * '' Gongylonema rodhaini'' Fain, 1948 * '' Gongylonema saimirisi'' Artigas, 1933 * ''

Gongylonema soricis ''Gongylonema'' is a genus of thread-like nematode that was described by Raffaele Molin, Molin in 1857. It is the only currently valid genus in the family (biology), family Gongylonematidae, though the mysterious ''Spiruroides'' – usually place ...

'' Fain, 1955 * '' Gongylonema spalacis'' Schulz, 1927 * ''

Gongylonema verrucosum ''Gongylonema'' is a genus of thread-like nematode that was described by Molin in 1857. It is the only currently valid genus in the family Gongylonematidae, though the mysterious '' Spiruroides'' – usually placed in the Subuluridae, which ar ...

'' Giles, 1892

References

Spirurida Parasitic nematodes of vertebrates Secernentea genera {{parasitic animal-stub