Spauligodon orobicus sp. nov. (Oxyurida: Pharyngodonidae) a parasite infecting the common wall lizard, Podarcis muralis (Laurenti, 1768) in northern Italy

Parasitic nematodes of the oxyurid family Pharyngodonidae are commonly found across reptile orders, with species of the genus Spauligodon Skrjabin, Schikhobalova & Lagodovskaja, 1960, being among the most common ones. However, scant information exists regarding the prevalence of Spauligodon nematodes in Italian reptile populations. Although two Spauligodon species have been reported from southern Italy, the presence of these worms in the rest of the country remains unknown. In this research, we describe Spauligodon orobicus sp. nov. from an Italian common wall lizard Podarcis muralis (Laurenti, 1768) of northern Italy. The new species is distinct from other known species both at the morphological and molecular level. The study increases the knowledge on the biodiversity of Spauligodon nematodes and in general on the biodiversity of Italy, and adds northern Italy to the geographical range of this nematode genus.