Family Alaimidae

                                 Revised 06/29/26

Classification:

Class Enoplea

      Subclass Enoplia

        Order Enoplida

          Suborder Alaimina

              Superfamily Alaimoidea

                 Alaimidae Micoletzky, 1922

A family of free-living soil-inhabiting nematodes.

• Length ranging from 0.4 to 4.0 mm.
• Cuticle smooth, Somatic setae absent.
• Labial region rounded, not offset from body contour.
• Labial papillae minute.
• Amphids postlabial, 2 to 5 body widths behind lip region; apertures small.
• Stoma minute, inconspicuous.
• Nematodes often very slender and internal structures difficult to discern.
• Esophagus slightly enlarged posteriorly.
• Female generally monovarial and opisthodelphic.
• Males monorchic, spicules generally straight.
• Gubernaculum rarely present.
• Ventromedian supplements (3-9) present

Etymology:  from alaimus - without a mouth - refers to the very inconspicuous oral aperture.

    Go To Dictionary of Terminology 

References:

Andrassy, 2009. Free-living nematodes of Hungary Vol. III. Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest

Choudhary M., Jairajpuri M.S. (2010) Evolutionary trends in soil-inhabiting alaimid nematodes. In: Sharma V.P. (eds) Nature at Work: Ongoing Saga of Evolution. Springer, New Delhi

Smol, N., Muthumbi, A., Sharma, J. 2014. Order Enoplida, 7.3. In Schmidt-Rhaesa, A. (ed) Handbook of Zoology. De Gruyter, Berlin

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