| Aonchotheca forresteri | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Nematoda |
| Class: | Enoplea |
| Order: | Enoplida |
| Family: | Capillariidae |
| Genus: | Aonchotheca |
| Species: | A. forresteri
|
| Binomial name | |
| Aonchotheca forresteri (Kinsella and Pence, 1987)
| |
| Synonyms | |
Aonchotheca forresteri is a parasitic nematode that infects the marsh rice rat (Oryzomys palustris) in Florida. Occurring mainly in adults, it inhabits the stomach. It is much more common during the wet season, perhaps because its unknown intermediate host is an earthworm that only emerges when it rains. The worm was discovered in 1970 and formally described in 1987. Originally classified in the genus Capillaria, it was reclassified in Aonchotheca in 1999. A. forresteri is small and narrow-bodied, with a length of 13.8 to 19.4 mm in females and 6.8 to 9.2 mm in males. Similar species such as A. putorii differ in features of the alae and spicule (organs in the male), the size of the female, and the texture of the eggs.