Female morphology of Philometra rubra (Nematoda: Philometridae), a parasite of the abdominal cavity of the striped sea-bass Morone saxatilis (Moronidae, Perciformes) in the USA.

The nematode Philometra rubra (Leidy, 1856) (Philometridae) is redescribed from subgravid females found in the abdominal cavity of the fish Morone saxatilis (Walbaum) from South Carolina, USA in November 2008. The species is characterized by the presence of 14 cephalic papillae arranged in two circles, a relatively long oesophagus with a distinct anterior inflation, and well-developed papilla-like caudal projections. Cephalic papillae of the external circle differ from those in other congeners in that the dorso-lateral and ventro-lateral papillae are large, dome-shaped, whereas the dorso-dorsal and ventro-ventral papillae are small.