Abstract
Strongyloides akbari Mirza and Narayan, 1935 (Nematoda: Strongyloididae) was collected from a shrew, Suncus murinus, on Okinawa Island, Japan. This is the first record of this nematode outside of India. Redescription was made based on parasitic females, free-living males and females, first-stage rhabditoid larvae and filariform larvae. Presence of free-living generation was first proved in S. akbari. The parasitic female is characterized by its minute body sized, non-spiraled ovaries and ovoviviparous nature. The free-living male has slightly curved spicules and the free-living female has slight postvulval reduction in body width and a vagina forming almost right angle to longitudinal body axis. The first-stage rhabditoid larva derived from parasitic female differs from the first-stage rhabditoid larva from free-living female by having a protruded ventral side of cephalic end and a larger genital primordium. The homogonic filariform larva has a larger genital primordium than the heterogonic filariform larva.
Key words: Strongyloides akbari; Suncus murinus; redescription; Okinawa, Japan.