Family Enoplidae

                                 Revised 01/30/26

Classification:

Phylum Nematoda

Class Enoplea

Subclass Enoplia

Order Enoplida

Suborder Enoplina

Superfamily Enoploidea

Enoplidae Dujardin, 1845

A family of marine nematodes - inhabiting regions from shallow water to ocean depths.

• Cephalic setae prominent

• Stoma enveloped by esophagus

• Stoma equipped with mandibles.

• Esophagus cylindroid

• Females generally amphidelphic

• Males always diorchic

Recent systenatics recognizes separation of the Enoplidae into two families and three subfamilies (Smol et al., 2014):

• Family Enoplidae
• Family Thoracostomopsidae
  • Subfamily Thoracostomopsinae
  • Subfamily Trileptiinae
  • Subfamily Enoplolaiminae

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References

Andrassy, I. 2009. Free-living Nematodes of Hungary (Nematoda Errantia) Vol. 111. Humgarian Natural History Museum, Budapest. 508p.

Dujardin. F. 1845. Histoire naturelle des helminthes ou vers intestinaux. Paris. Librarie Roret 654 pp.

Golden, A.M. and D.G. Murphy, 1967. Encholaimoidea (Nematoda: Dorylaimida), a new superfamily representing dorylaimid specimens with cephalic setae. Proc. Helmith Soc Washington. 34:94-98

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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