Rev. 06/10/26
Phylum Nematoda Diesing, 1861
Class Enoplea Inglis, 1983
Subclass Enoplia Pearse, 1942
Enoplida Filipjev, 1929
Enoplina Chitwood & Chitwood, 1937
Inhabit marine environments (intertidal, shallow water and deep sea sediments) and brackish water, or moist terrestrial habitats.
Feed as carnivores (predators) or on diatoms and algae.
Metanemes, filamentous stretch receptors, present in the epidermal chords, thought to co-ordinate movement. Many taxa in this group exhibit whip-like movements of the body when anchored at the spinneret.
Cephalic capsule present
Anterior sensilla 6+6+4 or 6+10
Amphid fovea: pocket-like, not spiral
Buccal cavity with mandibles, teeth or spear
Pharynx cylindrical, conoid
Excretory system a ventral gland with excretory duct usually anterior to nerve ring.
Females usually didelphic, amphidelphic
Males diorchic with 2 spicules and a gubernaculum.
Males with varying numbers of precloacal supplements.
Caudal glands ducted to a terminal spinneret in the tail region.
Andrássy, I. 2007. Free-living Nematodes of Hungary, Vol. II. Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest.
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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