Family Cyatholaimidae

Revised 03/11/25

Chromadorina

Chromadoroidea

Cyatholaimidae Filipjev, 1918 (also sometimes attributed to Micoletsky, 1922)

cuticle with transverse rows of punctations; lateral punctations may be larger, irregular or arranged in longitudinal rows.
inner labial sensilla usually setiform; six outer labial sensilla and four cephalic sensilla jointed in a single circle of ten setae
stoma shallow, with large dorsal tooth and two small subventral teeth
Cheilostome supported by 12 cutucular folds (rugae)
amphids multispiral
esophago-intestinal valve prominent, usually without terminal bulb
female didelphicamphidelphic with anterior and posterior antidromously reflexed gonads always on different sides of the intestine
male dinorchic, testes on opposite sides of the intestine, rarely monorchic; with precloacal supplements present or absent.
free-living, primarily marine nematodes often reported from coastal waters but some species from brackish and freshwater

Cyatholaimidae: anterior features. Drawings from Cunha, 2023

Five subfamilies, generally differentiated by arrangement of anterior sensilla, armament of the stoma, form of the cuticular ornamentation, presence or absence of pre-cloacal supplements and general morphology:

Cyatholaiminae Filipjev, 1918

Nyctonematinae Bussau, 1993

Paracanthonchinae Deconinck, 1965

Pomponematinae Gerlach & Riemann, 1973

Xenocyatholaiminae Gerlach & Riemann, 1973

References:

Bongers, T. De Nematoden van Nederland.

Cunha, B.R. 2023. Diversity of Free-living Marine nematodes: Taxonomy and Syatematic of Family Cyatholaimidae. PhD Thesis, University of Campinas, Brazil

Datta, T.K., Miljutin, D.M., Chakraborty, S.M. Mohapatra, A. 2016. Cyathoshiva amaleshi gen. n. sp. n. (Nematoda: Cyatholaimidae) from the coast of India. Zootaxa 4126:577-586.

Goodey, T and J.B. Goodey, 1963. Soil and Freshwater Nematodes. Methuen. London

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