Vol. 77 (3) 2025

ARTICLES

First Record of Asian Nematode Heligmosomoides neopolygyrus Asakawa & Ohbayashi, 1986 (Rhabditida: Heligmosomidae) from Striped Field Mice Apodemus agrarius (Pallas, 1771) (Rodentia: Muridae) in Serbia


Božana Tošić1,*, Milan Miljević2, Jelena Blagojević2, Olivera Bjelić-Čabrilo1 &
Borislav Čabrilo1

Abstract

In two individuals of Apodemus agrarius out of the 41 studied specimens of this species, specific taxonomic characters reminiscent of those of Heligmosomoides neopolygyrus were noted in heligmosomid nematodes. Morphological identification and comparative phylogenetic analyses were performed based on cytochrome b sequences of Heligmosomoides isolated from Apodemus agrarius. Morphological traits confirmed that these two nematodes were H. neopolygyrus. Phylogenetic analysis showed clustering of Serbian sequences of H. neopolygyrus from A. agrarius and also clustering of these sequences with those of H. neopolygyrus from A. agrarius from Poland and A. uralensis from Russia. This is the first report of the presence of Heligmosomoides neopolygyrus in Serbia.

Key words

heligmosomids, morphology, molecular analysis, cytb, rodents

How to Cite
Tošić B., Miljević M., Blagojević J., Bjelić-Čabrilo O. & Čabrilo B. 2025. First Record of Asian Nematode Heligmosomoides neopolygyrus Asakawa & Ohbayashi, 1986 (Rhabditida: Heligmosomidae) from Striped Field Mice Apodemus agrarius (Pallas, 1771) (Rodentia: Muridae) in Serbia. Acta zoologica bulgarica 77 (3): 403-408.