Bull
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Mohammad K. Mohammad and Azhar A. Al-Moussawi
Bull. Iraq nat. Hist. Mus.
(2017) 14 (3): 205-213
THE SPOTTED SANDGROUSE, PTEROCLES SENEGALLUS
(LINNAEUS, 1771) AS A NEW HOST FOR THE SPIRURID
NEMATODE HARTERTIA GALLINARUM (THEILER, 1919) IN IRAQ
Mohammad K. Mohammad and Azhar A. Al-Moussawi*
Iraq Natural History Research Centre and Museum, University of Baghdad,
Baghdad, Iraq
*Corresponding Author: azhar.nhm@gmail.com
Received Date: 16.March.2017 Accepted Date: : 24.April.2017
ABSTRACT
In this work, the spirurid nematode Hartertia gallinarum was reported in the intestine of
the spotted sandgrouse, Pterocles senegallus, collected in three different locations: Ga'ara
Depression, Iraqi Western Desert, Zurbatiyah and Al-Attariyah, Middle of Iraq. Description
and measurements of the nematode were given. The role of termites in the infection of P.
senegallus with H. gallinarum was discussed. Occurrence of H. gallinarum in P. senegallus
represents a new host record.
Key words: Hartertia, Iraq, Pterocles, Spotted sandgrouse, Termite.
INTRODUCTION
The spotted Sandgrouse Pterocles senegallus is a common and widely distributed bird
(Bolster, 1922) found in North Africa and Middle East, and it is a native bird in Iraq (BirdLife
International, 2016). It inhabits mainly sand deserts and semi deserts with scattered plants and
breeds nesting on ground in suitable areas of the middle and southern Iraq (Salim et al., 2006).
This species is considered as one of the most popular game birds in its distribution range in
Iraq.
The nematode Hartertia gallinarum (Theiler, 1919) is distributed in South and West Africa
and Asia. It causes host diarrhea, weight loss, weakness and decreased egg production and
losses of the bird host (Kaufmann, 1996).
In Iraq, Al-Hubaity (1976) found H. gallinarum in fowl Gallus gallus domesticus in Mousl,
north of Iraq. Then it has been isolated from the caecum of Rock partridge, Alectoris graeca
and from the gizzard, proventriculus, intestine and liver of Seesee partridge, Ammoperdix
griseogularis in the Gara-area, Rutba, western desert district respectively (Mohammad, 1996;
Mahmoud et al., 2000). Later, Khoshnaw and Abdullah (2013) recorded it in the caecum of
chukar partridge Alectoris chukar in Shaqlawa district, Kurdistan region, North of Iraq.
The present paper deals with recording the nematode H. gallinarum from the intestine of P.
senegallus for the first time in Iraq.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26842/binhm.7.2017.14.3.0205\
http://dx.doi.org/10.26842/binhm.7.2017.14.3.0205/
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The spotted sandgrouse, Pterocles senegallus (Linnaeus, 1771) as a new host
MATERIALS AND METHODS
A total of 16 spotted Sandgrouse, Pterocles senegallus (10 males and 6 females) were
collected in three different locations; Ga'ara Depression, Iraqi Western Desert (7 males and 4
females), Zurbatiyah (1 male and 1 female) and Al-Attariyah (2 males and 1 female), Middle
of Iraq (Map 1). Collection of birds was done during January-December 2016 in Zurbatiyah
and Al-Attariyah while those of Ga'ara were previously collected during the years 2003-2004.
Gastrointestinal tracts of the collected animals were excised, opened longitudinally and
nematodes were removed, washed with physiological saline, fixed in 70% alcohol, cleared in
lactopheno and identified morphologically based on the available keys and descriptions
(Cram, 1927; Yamaguti, 1961). All measurements are in millimeters given as means followed
by ranges in parentheses. Photomicrographs were taken with a digital camera Infinity lite-
K100 attached to compound microscope Micros MCX100.
Map (1): Showing the collection sites of host birds from different regions of Iraq.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Order Spirurata
Family Spiruridae
Genus Hartertia Seurat, 1915.
Hartertia gallinarum (Theiler, 1919) Cram, 1927.
Synonym: Filaria gallinarum Theiler, 1919. (Cram, 1927).
Only specimens of the spotted sandgrouse, P. senegallus from Ga'ara Depression were
infected with 29 specimens of H. gallinarum, 3 males and 26 females with an infection rate of
100% while the rest of the host samples yielded no parasites. The total infection rate was
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Mohammad K. Mohammad and Azhar A. Al-Moussawi
68.75% with intensity of 2.64. According to Encyclopedia of Life (2017), GBIF (2017) and
Fauna Europaea (2017), this nematode belongs to the order Spirurata and the family
Hartertiidae. It has one synonym which is Filaria gallinarum Theiler, 1919. The worm is
filiform attenuating at each extremity. Cuticle thick is finely striated transversely. Head small
with a slight constriction. Two lips are trilobed and each lip toothed, with a lateral papilla and
lined by a thick cuticle. Two cervical papillae just behind the lips. The pyriform vestibule is
short. Esophagus is divided into two parts; the anterior one is short and muscular. The
posterior is longer and glandular.
Male (Pl. 1, 2 and 3): Three males were isolated, each with symmetrical caudal alae. Six
pedunculated papillae, four pairs are preanal. Measurements of three specimens were: Body is
16.003 (15.351-16.642) long x 0.79 (0.63-0.90) maximum wide. Cephalic papillae is situated
at a distance of 0.052 (0.052-0.052) far from the anterior extremity of the body. Pyriform
vestibule is 0.128 (0.120-0.135) long x 0.161 (0.145-0.182) wide. Oesophagus reaches 2.625
long in one specimen in which body length was 15.351. Oesophagus length as a proportion of
body length is 0.171. Nerve ring 0.038 (0.031-0.047) long x 0.184 (0.166-0.197) wide, at a
distance of 0.3032 (0.208-0.400) far from anterior extremity. Six pairs of pedunculated
papillae, of which four precloacal and two postcloacal and group of very small sessile papillae
present at tip of the tail. Spicules unequal, right spicule is 0.4108 (0.3224-0.468), the left
spicule is (measurements for two specimens only) 1.522 (1.510-1.534) long. Tail length is
0.529 (0.5096-0.546). Tail length as a proportion of body length is 0.033 (0.0306-0.0356).
Female (Pl. 4, 5): Twenty-six females were isolated. They are larger than males. Body is
18.385 (9.807-28.455) long x 0.758 (0.260-1.523) maximum wide. Head is 0.089 (0.057-
0.119) long x 0.187 (0.130-0.244) wide. Tooth at a distance of 0.094 (0.050-0.124) from
anterior extremity of the body. Cervical papillae are situated at a distance of 0.0349 (0.026-
0.0468) from anterior extremity. The vestibule is 0.143 (0.022-0.218) long x 0.161 (0.114-
0.234) wide. Excretory pore is situated at 0.451 (0.338-0.546) from anterior extremity.
Oesophagus is 3.077 (2.654-3.675). Oesophagus as a proportion of body length is 0.179
(0.147-0.209). Nerve ring is 0.055 (0.026-0.13) long x 0.204 (0.145-0.296) wide, at distance
of 0.316 (0.208-0.520) from anterior extremity. Vulva distance from anterior extremity is
11.485 (5.612-16.720). The embryonated eggs have thick double shell. Tail is conical,
rounded at its end and 0.408 (0.025-1.575) long.
The morphology of H. gallinarum in the present study did not show differences from H.
gallinarum found in Cram (1927) but there are some differences in measurements between
the present specimens and those of Cram (1927) as well as with those of the other local
studies by (Al-Hubaity, 1976; Mohammad, 1996; Mahmoud et al., 2000; Khoshnaw and
Abdullah, 2013) which had been isolated from different bird species belonging to another
order. Presence of the same species of parasites in different host species may induce some
morphological variations (Hildebrand et al., 2015) and / or physiological variations
(Mehlhorn, 2016).
It is worth to mention that Mohammad (1996) had reported this nematode from Alectoris
graeca. This host was proved later to be A. chukar according to Salim et al. (2006). So, the
hosts examined by Mohammad (1996) and Khoshnaw and Abdullah (2013) were actually the
same bird species (A. chukar). Occurrence of H. gallinarum in P. senegallus of the present
investigation represents a new host record in Iraq and to the best of our knowledge it is the
first time that this parasite has ever been recorded from members of the family Pteroclididae
(Order, Pterocliformes). Regarding transmitting of H. gallinarum to its present host which
depends only on small seeds (Bolster, 1922), we have now only indirect evidence that the
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The spotted sandgrouse, Pterocles senegallus (Linnaeus, 1771) as a new host
spotted sandgrouse P. senegallus eats ants and termites during its breeding season (Campbell
and Lack, 1985) probably because protein is required for egg laying, incubation activities and
chick growing. It is necessary to reveal this subject through crop analyses of a good number
of male and female individuals of this bird collected from different parts of its distribution
range in Iraq. It seems necessary also to investigate about another species of parasites
infecting this game bird from the human health viewpoint since large numbers of the bird are
eaten every year by humans.
The nematode H. gallinarum infects chicken and other birds (Baker, 1973). To complete its
life cycle, it requires termites (Kaufmann, 1996). Babaeian and Zangiband (2014) found that
this nematode needs the termite Anacanthotermes ubachi for its development. A. ubachi
(found in Ga'ara Depression) and two other Anacanthotermes species: A. vagans and A.
sawensis were previously recorded in Iraq by Al-Alawy (1987).
Plate (1): Anterior end of male of Hartertia gallinarum.
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Mohammad K. Mohammad and Azhar A. Al-Moussawi
Plate (2): Head of male of H. gallinarum (lateral view)
Plate (3): Tail of male of H. gallinarum
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The spotted sandgrouse, Pterocles senegallus (Linnaeus, 1771) as a new host
Plate (4): Anterior end of female of H. gallinarum
Plate (5): Posterior end of female of H. gallinarum
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Mohammad K. Mohammad and Azhar A. Al-Moussawi
LITERATURE CITED
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Bull. Iraq nat. Hist. Mus.
(2017) 14 (3): 205-213
كمّضيف جديد للدودة Pterocles senegallus (Linnaeus, 1771) القطا المرقط
Hartertia gallinarum (Theiler, 1919)الخيطية
في وسط العراق
هللا محمد كاظم محمد و ازهار احمد سعد
جامعة بغداد، بغداد، العراقي، ركز بحوث و متحف التأريخ الطبيعم
610312162: تأريخ القبول 610317102: تأريخ االستالم
الخالصة
من أمعاء القطا Hartertia gallinarum هذا البحث معني بظهور الدودة الخيطية
الذي جمع من منخفض القعرة في غرب العراق ومن Pterocles senegallusالمرقط
كما ألقي أعطي وصف وقياسات تلك الدودة الخيطية،. زرباطية والعطارية في وسط العراق
في إصابة القطا المرقط Anacanthotermes ubachiالضوء على دور النمل األبيض
بموجب الدراسة الحالية يعتبر القطا المرقط مضيّفا جديدا لهذه الدودة . الدودة الخيطيةتلك ب
.الخيطية في العراق