Anatomy and Morphology

Striations: transverse incisures allowing flexibility of the cuticle (sometimes called annulations).

Lateral field: lateral lines may run on each side along the length of the body. The lines are cuticular ridges separated by incisures.

Other cuticular markings and descriptions:

punctations - small pits or depressions on the surface of the cuticle
areolae - areas of cuticle delineated by the intersection of longitudinal and transverse incisures
tessellate - cuticle patterned like a mosaic
crenate - cuticular margins formed of rounded scallop shapes.


Tylenchida with lateral field	Tylenchida with lateral field and longitudinal striae	Dorylaimida with longitudinal striae	Ascaridida with lateral field extended as longitudinal alae
From Maggenti, 1981

Caudal alae: cuticular extensions on either side of, or surrounding, male cloaca.

		Leptoderan caudal alae of Hirschmanniella pomponiensis
Tylenchida - peloderan (extending to tail tip) Peloderan and Leptoderan are terms introduced by Schneider (1866).	Order Tylenchida - leptoderan (anterior to tail tip)

Order Strongylida - peloderan with supporting rays	Order Spirurida - arakoderan (completely surrounding cloaca, also with supporting rays)

Bursal rays are modified genital papillae and may have a supporting function in the strongylid bursa.	Bursa function in copulation: Oesophagostomum sp. (A = male; B = female; C = bursa)

Lateral alae - generally lateral or sublateral variously along body in both females and males

Cervical Alae: Modified lateral alae in the anterior region of strongylids, ascarids and spirurids

Toxocara canis

Toxocara cati

Lateral Alae

•Lateral alae may occur in males and females as lateral or sublateral •extensions of the cuticle which may extend along body.

•Occur in several taxa of ascarids and chromadorids.

•In free-swimming nematodes, may aid in propulsion.

Lateral alae in Tripyla female and male. Photographs by Ignacio cid del Prado

Head ornamentation - probolae.

Face view of nematode in the family Cephalobidae

Photomicrographs by Khuong B. Nguyen, Entomology & Nematology Department
University of Florida.

Mucro

Cuticular projections on the tail of some taxa. Functioun unknown, but clumps of fungus are sometimes ensnared.

Common in suborder Aphelenchina.

Bursaphelenchus mucronatus: mucro on tail tip

Laimaphelenchus sp. tail tip

Mucros on tails of males of Aphelenchoides sp.

Molts of the Cuticle

There are four molts of the cuticle in most nematodes; there is an apparent reduction of one juvenile stage in some taxa.

In Adenophorea all layers are molted, in Secernentea epicuticle is molted and exocuticle is dissolved.

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