UNITED STATES
                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D. C. 20549


                                    FORM 10-Q


                Quarterly Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
                     of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

                  For the quarterly period ended March 31, 1999


                          Commission File No. 2-81398A


                           PARKER & PARSLEY 83-A, LTD.
             (Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)


                 Texas                                      75-1891384       
     (State or other jurisdiction of                     (I.R.S. Employer
      incorporation or organization)                  Identification Number)


303 West Wall, Suite 101, Midland, Texas                       79701    
(Address of principal executive offices)                     (Zip code)


       Registrant's Telephone Number, including area code : (915) 683-4768

                                 Not applicable
               (Former name, former address and former fiscal year
                          if changed since last report)

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant (1) has filed all reports required
to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during
the  preceding 12 months (or for such  shorter  period that the  Registrant  was
required  to file  such  reports),  and  (2) has  been  subject  to such  filing
requirements for the past 90 days.

                                Yes / x / No / /






<PAGE>



                           PARKER & PARSLEY 83-A, LTD.

                                TABLE OF CONTENTS


                                                                        Page
                          Part I. Financial Information

Item 1.    Financial Statements

           Balance Sheets as of March 31, 1999 and
              December 31, 1998 .......................................    3

           Statements of Operations for the three months
             ended March 31, 1999 and 1998.............................    4

           Statement of Partners' Capital for the three months
             ended March 31, 1999......................................    5

           Statements of Cash Flows for the three months
             ended March 31, 1999 and 1998.............................    6

           Notes to Financial Statements...............................    7

Item 2.    Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial
             Condition and Results of Operations.......................    7


                           Part II. Other Information

Item 6.    Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K............................   11

           27.1    Financial Reporting Schedule

           Signatures..................................................   12


                                        2

<PAGE>



                           PARKER & PARSLEY 83-A, LTD.
                          (A Texas Limited Partnership)

                          Part I. Financial Information

Item 1.   Financial Statements

                                 BALANCE SHEETS

                                                    March 31,      December 31,
                                                      1999             1998
                                                  ------------     ------------
                                                  (Unaudited)
                      ASSETS

Current assets:
  Cash                                            $     81,121     $     94,700
  Accounts receivable - oil and gas sales              109,240          101,658
                                                   -----------      -----------
          Total current assets                         190,361          196,358
                                                   -----------      -----------
Oil and gas properties - at cost, based on the
  successful efforts accounting method              16,885,367       16,884,175
Accumulated depletion                              (15,451,856)     (15,388,824)
                                                   -----------      -----------
          Net oil and gas properties                 1,433,511        1,495,351
                                                   -----------      -----------
                                                  $  1,623,872     $  1,691,709
                                                   ===========      ===========

LIABILITIES AND PARTNERS' CAPITAL

Current liabilities:
  Accounts payable - affiliate                    $     33,955     $     23,407

Partners' capital:
  General partners                                     153,527          164,245
  Limited partners (19,505 interests)                1,436,390        1,504,057
                                                   -----------      -----------
                                                     1,589,917        1,668,302
                                                   -----------      -----------
                                                  $  1,623,872     $  1,691,709
                                                   ===========      ===========



  The financial information included as of March 31, 1999 has been prepared by
           management without audit by independent public accountants.

   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

                                        3

<PAGE>



                           PARKER & PARSLEY 83-A, LTD.
                          (A Texas Limited Partnership)

                            STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
                                   (Unaudited)



                                                         Three months ended
                                                              March 31,
                                                     --------------------------
                                                        1999            1998
                                                     ----------      ----------
Revenues:
   Oil and gas                                       $  174,245      $  263,279
   Interest                                               1,086           4,955
                                                      ---------       ---------
                                                        175,331         268,234
                                                      ---------       ---------
Costs and expenses:
   Oil and gas production                               182,200         188,037
   General and administrative                             7,093           7,532
   Depletion                                             63,032          58,290
                                                      ---------       ---------
                                                        252,325         253,859
                                                      ---------       ---------
Net income (loss)                                    $  (76,994)     $   14,375
                                                      =========       =========
Allocation of net income (loss)
   General partners                                  $   (9,327)     $   12,535
                                                      =========       =========
   Limited partners                                  $  (67,667)     $    1,840
                                                      =========       =========
Net income (loss) per limited partnership interest   $    (3.47)     $      .09
                                                      =========       =========
Distributions per limited partnership interest       $      -        $     5.38
                                                      =========       =========




         The financial information included herein has been prepared by
           management without audit by independent public accountants.

   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

                                        4

<PAGE>



                           PARKER & PARSLEY 83-A, LTD.
                          (A Texas Limited Partnership)

                         STATEMENT OF PARTNERS' CAPITAL
                                   (Unaudited)





                                      General        Limited
                                      partners       partners         Total
                                     ----------     ----------     ----------

Balance at January 1, 1999           $  164,245     $1,504,057     $1,668,302

   Distributions                         (1,391)           -           (1,391)

   Net loss                              (9,327)       (67,667)       (76,994)
                                      ---------      ---------      ---------

Balance at March 31, 1999            $  153,527     $1,436,390     $1,589,917
                                      =========      =========      =========







         The financial information included herein has been prepared by
           management without audit by independent public accountants.

   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

                                        5

<PAGE>


                           PARKER & PARSLEY 83-A, LTD.
                          (A Texas Limited Partnership)

                            STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
                                   (Unaudited)



                                                        Three months ended
                                                             March 31,
                                                     -------------------------
                                                        1999          1998
                                                     ----------     ----------
Cash flows from operating activities:
   Net income (loss)                                 $  (76,994)    $   14,375
   Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net
     cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
        Depletion                                        63,032         58,290
 Changes in assets and liabilities:
   Accounts receivable                                   (7,582)        17,256
   Accounts payable                                      10,548         (2,232)
                                                      ---------      ---------
         Net cash provided by (used in) operating
           activities                                   (10,996)        87,689
                                                      ---------      ---------
Cash flows from investing activities:
   Additions to oil and gas properties                   (1,192)        (1,815)
   Proceeds from asset disposition                          -          268,137
                                                      ---------      ---------
         Net cash provided by (used in) investing
           activities                                    (1,192)       266,322
                                                      ---------      ---------
Cash flows used in financing activities:
   Cash distributions to partners                        (1,391)      (141,204)
                                                      ---------      ---------
Net increase (decrease) in cash                         (13,579)       212,807
Cash at beginning of period                              94,700        173,276
                                                      ---------      ---------
Cash at end of period                                $   81,121     $  386,083
                                                      =========      =========



         The financial information included herein has been prepared by
           management without audit by independent public accountants.

   The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.


                                        6

<PAGE>


                           PARKER & PARSLEY 83-A, LTD.
                          (A Texas Limited Partnership)

                          NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
                                 March 31, 1999
                                   (Unaudited)

Note 1.     Organization and nature of operations

Parker &  Parsley  83-A,  Ltd.  (the  "Partnership")  is a  limited  partnership
organized in 1983 under the laws of the State of Texas.

The Partnership  engages  primarily in oil and gas development and production in
Texas and is not involved in any industry segment other than oil and gas.

Note 2.     Basis of presentation

In  the  opinion  of  management,  the  unaudited  financial  statements  of the
Partnership as of March 31, 1999 include all adjustments and accruals consisting
only of normal  recurring  accrual  adjustments  which are  necessary for a fair
presentation  of the results for the interim  period.  These interim results are
not necessarily indicative of results for a full year.

Certain  information  and  footnote  disclosure  normally  included in financial
statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting  principles
have been  condensed  or  omitted  in this Form 10-Q  pursuant  to the rules and
regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission.  The financial statements
should  be read in  conjunction  with the  financial  statements  and the  notes
thereto  contained in the  Partnership's  Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 1998, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission,  a copy
of which is available upon request by writing to Rich Dealy,  Vice President and
Chief Accounting Officer,  5205 North O'Connor  Boulevard,  1400 Williams Square
West, Irving, Texas 75039-3746.

Item 2.     Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
              and Results of Operations (1)

Results of Operations

Revenues:

The Partnership's  oil and gas revenues  decreased 34% to $174,245 from $263,279
for the three months ended March 31, 1999 and 1998,  respectively.  The decrease
in  revenues  resulted  from lower  average  prices  received  and a decrease in
production.  For the three months ended March 31, 1999,  10,467  barrels of oil,
5,048  barrels of natural gas liquids  ("NGLs") and 23,978 mcf of gas were sold,
or 19,511 barrel of oil equivalents  ("BOEs").  For the three months ended March
31, 1998,  12,635  barrels of oil,  4,722  barrels of NGLs and 24,416 mcf of gas
were sold, or 21,426 BOEs.

The average  price  received per barrel of oil  decreased  $4.17,  or 28%,  from
$15.11 for the three  months  ended March 31, 1998 to $10.94 for the same period
in 1999. The average price received per barrel of NGLs decreased  $1.58, or 23%,

                                        7

<PAGE>


from  $6.84  for the three  months  ended  March 31,  1998 to $5.26 for the same
period in 1999.  The average  price  received per mcf of gas  decreased 16% from
$1.64  during the three months ended March 31, 1998 to $1.38 for the same period
in 1999.  The market  price for oil and gas has been  extremely  volatile in the
past decade,  and management  expects a certain amount of volatility to continue
in the foreseeable future. The Partnership may therefore sell its future oil and
gas production at average  prices lower or higher than that received  during the
three months ended March 31, 1999.

A continuation of the oil price environment experienced during the first quarter
of 1999 will have an adverse effect on the Partnership's  revenues and operating
cash flow and could result in additional  decreases to the carrying value of the
Partnership's oil and gas properties.

Costs and Expenses:

Total costs and expenses  decreased to $252,325 for the three months ended March
31,  1999 as compared  to  $253,859  for the same period in 1998,  a decrease of
$1,534.  This  decrease was  attributable  to declines in  production  costs and
general and administrative expenses ("G&A"), offset by an increase in depletion.

Production  costs were  $182,200  for the three  months ended March 31, 1999 and
$188,037 for the same period in 1998 resulting in a $5,837 decrease,  or 3%. The
decrease was due to declines in production taxes and ad valorem taxes, offset by
an increase in well  maintenance  costs  incurred in an effort to stimulate well
production.

G&A's  components are independent  accounting and engineering  fees and managing
general  partner  personnel  and  operating  costs.   During  this  period,  G&A
decreased,  in  aggregate,  6% from $7,532 for the three  months ended March 31,
1998 to $7,093 for the same period in 1999.

Depletion  was $63,032  for the three  months  ended March 31, 1999  compared to
$58,290 for the same period in 1998, an increase of $4,742,  or 8%. The increase
was the result of a  combination  of factors  that  included a decline in proved
reserves during the three months ended March 31, 1999 due to the lower commodity
prices,  offset by a reduction in the  Partnership's  net depletable  basis from
charges take in accordance with Statement of Financial  Accounting Standards No.
121,  "Accounting  for the  Impairment of Long-Lived  Assets and for  Long-Lived
Assets to be Disposed Of" ("SFAS  121") during the fourth  quarter of 1998 and a
reduction in oil production of 2,168 barrels for the period ended March 31, 1999
compared to the same period in 1998.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating  activities  decreased  $98,685  during the three
months  ended  March 31, 1999 from the same period in 1998.  This  decrease  was
attributable to a decline in oil and gas sales  receipts,  offset by declines in
production costs and G&A expenses paid.

                                        8

<PAGE>


Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities

The Partnership's  investing  activities during the three months ended March 31,
1999 and 1998 included  expenditures related to equipment replacement on various
oil and gas properties.

Proceeds from  disposition of assets of $268,137 were received  during the three
months ended March 31, 1998 from the sale of 16 oil and gas wells in 1997.

Net Cash Used in Financing Activities

For the three months ended March 31, 1999, $1,391 was distributed to the general
partners with no distribution to the limited partners. For the same period ended
March 31,  1998,  cash was  sufficient  for  distributions  to the  partners  of
$141,204 of which $36,333 was  distributed to the general  partners and $104,871
to the limited partners.

During the first  quarter  of 1999,  the  Organization  of  Petroleum  Exporting
Countries and certain other crude oil exporting nations announced  reductions in
their  planned  export  volumes.   These  announcements,   together  with  early
indications that the nations have initiated their planned  reductions,  have had
some  stabilizing  effect on commodity prices during the later part of the first
quarter of 1999 and into April 1999.  However,  no assurances  can be given that
the  stabilizing  effect of these actions,  or the planned  reductions in export
volumes,  will be sustained for an extended period of time. As a result,  future
commodity prices will have a direct impact on the amount of future distributions
and could result in limited or no distributions to the partners.

Year 2000 Project Readiness

Historically,  many computer programs have been developed that use only the last
two digits in a date to refer to a year.  As the year 2000 nears,  the inability
of such  computer  programs and embedded  technologies  to  distinguish  between
"1900" and "2000" has given rise to the "Year 2000" problem. Theoretically, such
computer  programs and related  technology  could fail outright,  or communicate
inaccurate  data,  if not  remediated  or replaced.  With the  proliferation  of
electronic  data  interchange,  the Year 2000 problem  represents a  significant
exposure to the entire  global  community,  the full  extent of which  cannot be
accurately assessed.

In proactive  response to the Year 2000 problem,  the managing  general  partner
established  a "Year  2000"  project to  assess,  to the  extent  possible,  the
Partnership's and the managing general partner's internal Year 2000 problem;  to
take remedial  actions  necessary to minimize the Year 2000 risk exposure to the
managing  general  partner and  significant  third parties with whom it has data
interchange;  and, to test its systems and processes once remedial  actions have
been taken. The managing general partner has contracted with IBM Global Services
to perform the assessment and remedial phases of its Year 2000 project.

As of March 31, 1999, the managing general partner estimates that the assessment
phase is approximately 99% complete and has included, but is not limited to, the
following procedures:
                                        9

<PAGE>



o      the identification of  necessary remediation,  upgrade and/or replacement
       of existing information technology applications and systems;

o      the  assessment  of   non-information   technology  exposures,   such  as
       telecommunications  systems,  security  systems,  elevators  and  process
       control equipment;

o      the  initiation  of inquiry and  dialogue  with  significant  third party
       business partners, customers and suppliers in an effort to understand and
       assess their Year 2000  problems,  readiness and potential  impact on the
       managing general partner and its Year 2000 problem;

o      the   implementation  of  processes   designed  to  reduce  the  risk  of
       reintroduction  of Year 2000 problems into the managing general partner's
       systems and business processes; and,

o      the formulation of  contingency  plans for  mission-critical  information
       technology systems.

The managing  general  partner  expects to complete the assessment  phase of its
Year 2000 project by the end of the second  quarter of 1999.  Through  March 31,
1999, the managing general partner had distributed  Year 2000 problem  inquiries
to over 500  entities and has received  responses  to  approximately  48% of the
inquiries.

The remedial  phase of the managing  general  partner's  Year 2000 project is in
varying  stages of completion as it pertains to the  remediation  of information
technology and non-information technology applications and systems in the United
States, Canada and Argentina. As of March 31, 1999, the managing general partner
estimates that the remedial phase is approximately 79% complete,  on a worldwide
basis,  subject  to  continuing  evaluations  of the  responses  to third  party
inquiries and to the testing phase results.  The remedial phase has included the
upgrade and/or  replacement of certain  application  and hardware  systems.  The
managing  general  partner has upgraded its Artesia  general  ledger  accounting
systems through  remedial coding and has completed the testing of the system for
Year 2000 compliance.  The remediation of non-information technology is expected
to be completed by mid-1999.  The managing general  partner's Year 2000 remedial
actions have not delayed other information technology projects or upgrades.

The testing  phase of the  managing  general  partner's  Year 2000 project is on
schedule.  The  managing  general  partner  expects to  complete  the testing of
information   technology   systems  by  October   1999.   The   testing  of  the
non-information  technology  remediation is scheduled to be completed by the end
of June 1999.

The managing  general  partner  expects that its total costs related to the Year
2000 problem will approximate $3.6 million, of which approximately $500 thousand
will have been incurred to replace non-compliant information technology systems.
As of March 31, 1999, the managing general partner's total costs incurred on the
Year 2000 problem were $2.4 million,  of which  approximately $200 thousand were
incurred to replace non-compliant systems.

                                       10

<PAGE>



The risks  associated with the Year 2000 problem are  significant.  A failure to
remedy a critical  Year 2000 problem could have a materially  adverse  affect on
the Partnership's results of operations and financial condition. The most likely
worst case scenario  which may be encountered as a result of a Year 2000 problem
could include  information and non-information  system failures,  the receipt or
transmission of erroneous  data, lost data or a combination of similar  problems
of a magnitude that cannot be accurately assessed at this time.

In the  assessment  phase of the managing  general  partner's Year 2000 project,
contingency  plans were designed to mitigate the  exposures to mission  critical
information  technology systems, such as oil and gas sales receipts,  vendor and
royalty  cash   distributions,   debt  compliance,   accounting,   and  employee
compensation.  Such contingency  plans  anticipate the extensive  utilization of
third-party data processing  services,  personal  computer  applications and the
substitution   of  courier  and  mail  services  in  place  of  electronic  data
interchange.  Given  the  uncertainties  regarding  the  scope of the Year  2000
problem  and the  compliance  of  significant  third  parties,  there  can be no
assurance that contingency plans will have anticipated all Year 2000 scenarios.

------------

(1)      "Item 2.  Management's  Discussion and Analysis of Financial  Condition
         and Results of Operations"  contains  forward  looking  statements that
         involve risks and  uncertainties.  Accordingly,  no  assurances  can be
         given  that the  actual  events  and  results  will  not be  materially
         different than the anticipated results described in the forward looking
         statements.


                           Part II. Other Information

Item 6.     Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K

(a)    Exhibits

       27.1    Financial Data Schedule

(b) Reports on Form 8-K - none.




                                       11

<PAGE>


                           PARKER & PARSLEY 83-A, LTD.
                          (A Texas Limited Partnership)



                               S I G N A T U R E S



      Pursuant to the  requirements of the Securities  Exchange Act of 1934, the
Registrant  has duly  caused  this  report  to be  signed  on its  behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.


                                            PARKER & PARSLEY 83-A, LTD.

                                    By:    Pioneer Natural Resources USA, Inc.
                                            Managing General Partner



Dated:  May 7, 1999                 By:    /s/ Rich Dealy
                                           ----------------------------------
                                           Rich Dealy, Vice President
                                             and Chief Accounting Officer


                                       12

<PAGE>