Capillaria Aerophila - Taxonomy and Description

Taxonomy and Description

This species was originally described in 1839, from specimens found in the trachea of a wolf, and named Trichosoma aerophila. It was transferred to the genus Eucoleus (as Eucoleus aerophilus) by Dujardin in 1845, and to the genus Capillaria (as Capillaria aerophila) in 1911, and is sometimes referred to as Thominx aerophilum. The changes to the end of the species name in each genus, whether it ends with "-a", "-us" or "-um", are necessary to adhere to the rules of Latin grammar.

Males generally range from 15-25 mm long, with a maximum width of 62 µm, while females are 18-32 mm long with a maximum width of 105 µm. Some sources report that they are larger when they occur in the nasal sinuses.