Ophidascaris robertsi

Ophidascaris robertsi is a nematode (also known as roundworm) usually parasitic in the carpet python (Morelia spilota). It is found in Australia and Papua New Guinea. Pythons serve as the typical hosts for Ophidascaris robertsi, which has an indirect life cycle. The adult parasites develop nodular masses in the oesophagus and stomach of carpet pythons and place a small piece of their anterior bodies into the nodules that protrude from the digestive mucosa. When endemic parasites like Ophidascaris robertsi infect local fauna, the pathological changes that follow are frequently self-limiting or do not result in illness.