Rev. 11/10/24
Araeolaimoidea
Diplopeltidae Filipjev, 1918
In some texts, Diplopeltidae sensu lato is considered to consist of families Diplopeltidae and Cylindrolaimidae. Some authorities suggest dividing the Diplopeltidae into two subfamilies: Diplopeltinae and Cylindrolaiminae based on the cylindrical buccal cavity of Cylindrolaimus. However, the character also occurs in some of the other genera of the family. Recent texts consider the Diplopeltidae a single family.
Characteristics of the Diplopeltidae:
Cuticle smooth or striated.
Labial sensilla usually papilliform or not visible.
Four obvious cephalic sensilla
Amphids curve to a bowl shape in the form of a spiral with one loop, or cryptospiral.
Ocelli sometimes present.
Buccal cavity narrow and tubular or very small. Tooth-like formation absent.
Esophagus with one ventral and two subdorsal pharyngeal tubes. Terminal bulb sometimes present.
Femalwes diselphic-amphidelphis; ovaries paired (except in Cylindrolaimus monhystera), outstretched
Males usually diorchic.
Precloacal supplements mostly absent.
Tail conical or conico-cylindrical.
All genera except Cylindrolaimus and Edalonema are exclusively marine.
Andrássy, I. 2005. Free-living Nematodes of Hungary, Vol. I. Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest.
Fonseca, G. and Bezerra, T.N. 2013. Order Araeolaimida De Coninck & Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1933. In Schmidt-Rhaesa (Ed). Handbook of Zoology. De Gruyter. DOI:10.1515/9783110274257.467
Gerlach, S.A. 1950. Die Diplopeltiden, eine gruppe freilebender nematoden. Kieler Meeresforschungen, 7: 138-156
Leduc, D. 2017. Four new nematode species (Araeolaimida: Comesomatidae, Diplopeltidae) from the New Zealand continental slope. Zootaxa 4237 (2): 244-264
Want more information about nematodes? Go to Nemaplex Main Menu.