Dicelis

  

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Rev 02/22/2024

  Classification Hosts
Morphology and Anatomy Life Cycle
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Distribution Management
Return to Drilonematidae Menu Feeding  References
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Classification:

Rhabditida
       Tylenchina
        Drilonematoidea
             Drilonematidae
Dicelinae

          Dicelis Dujardin, 1845
   

Type species of the genus, D. filaria Dujardin, 1845

Synonyms:
    

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Morphology and Anatomy:

.
  • The genus Dicelis Dujardin, 1845 Yellowish or white nematodes with body tapering to both ends, rounded head end and conoid or only scarcely tapering tail. Lateral fields 25-30% of  body diameter wide with fine longitudinal striation.
  • Mouth opening terminal, round or triangular. Buccal cavity absent or inconspicuous.
  • Four or eight cephalic papillae or setae.
  • Amphids  pore-like openings.
  • Esophagus muscular, uniformly-thickened or slightly expanded at base, non-valvate. Three nuclei in esophageal glands.
  • Cardia of 2-6 cells.
  • Nerve ring delicate, surrounding intestine between the esophagus base and gonad reflex.
  •  Rectum sclerotized with three prominent glands.
  • Phasmids paired, sucker-like; each with an outer convex fibrous rim with inner flat or raised transparent membranewith central pore to subsurface. Sucker cavity encircled by dense tissues which join multinucleate granular structures that occupy caudal region. T

Female:

  • lMonodelphic, prodelphic, ovary reflexed to level of vulva or caudal region
  • Sperrnatheca on or near the gonad flexure, not set-off, c
  •  Long, thick-walled oviduct composed of prismatic or cylindrical cells.
  • Uterus with thinner walls .
  • Postvulvar sac containing eggs always present.
  • Vulva close to mid-body with bundles of vaginal muscular cells inside, vulvar lips prominent only in immature females.

Male

  • Testis flexure at about 200-500 pm from anterior end.
  • Posterior part of genital tube divided into narrow vas deferens and muscular ejaculatory duct.
  • Two equal, slightly curved spicules with velum and thin distal endings, more or less cephalated.
  • Boat-like gubernaculum of variable shape.
  • Bursa absent.
  • One pair of subventral adanal, 2-8 pairs of subventral preanal and 1-3 pairs of subventral and subdorsal post-anal papillae.
  • One pair of post-anal papillae.

 Ref: Ivanova, E.S. 1993
Body size range for the species of this genus in the database - Click:
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Distribution:

As of 1994, all species of Dicelis have been reported from earthworms belonging to the family Lumbricidae and are known from Europe, the northern part of Asia, and from North America (Ivanova, 1994).

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Economic Importance:

 

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Feeding:

      Parasites of the coelomic cavity of annelids.

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Hosts:

Host Range and Type Localities od Dicelis spp. (from Ivanova, 1994)

Dicelis Species Earthworm Host Locality
D.eiseniae Eisenia carolinensis Louisiana, USA
D. filaria Lumbricus terrestris Central Europe
Eisenia foetida  
Lumbricus rubellus  
Dendrodrilus rubidus  
Eisenia nordenskioldi Northern Russia
D. hyrcanus Eisenia foetida South Azerbaijan
D. kimmeriensis Dendrobaena veneta Crimea, Ukraine
D. lovatiana Lumbricus rubellus Nothwest Russia
D. lumbricoides Lumbricus rubellus Moscow region, Russia
Lumbricus terrestris  
D. nira Nicodrilus caliginosus Maryland, USA
D. pereliae Eisenia nordenskioldi Voronezh region, Russia
D. russica Eisenia kusenkoi Northern Russia
D. rubidi Eisenia nordenskioldi Western Siberia, Russia
D. sibirica Dendrodrilus rubidus Norteastern Russiqa
For an extensive host range list for this genus, click
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Life Cycle:

For Ecophysiological Parameters for this genus, click 
 
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Damage:

 

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Management:

 

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References:

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

Ivanova, E.S. 1993. Parasitic nematodes of earthworms: I. Four new species of Dicelis Dujardin, 1845 from Eastern Europe and a diagnosis of the genus. Russian J. Nematology 1:103-116.

Ivanova, E.S. 1994. Parasitic nematodes of earthworms: I I. Two new species of Dicelis Dujardin, 1845 from Siberia and a key to the species of the genus.  Russian J. Nematology 2:65-74.

Poinar, G.O. 1978. Associations Between Nematodes (Nematoda) and Oligochaetes (Annelida). Proc. Helminthol. Soc. Wash. 45:202-210.

Spiridonov, S. E., Ivanova, E. S., & Wilson, M. J. (2005). The nematodes of the genus Dicelis Dujardin, 1845 parasitic in earthworms: the interrelationships of four Eurasian populations. Russian Journal of Nematology, 13, 61-81.

Timm, R.W. 1967. Nematode parasites of the coelomic cavity of earthworms VII. Four new genera and thirteen new species of the family Drilonematidae. Pak. J. Biol. Agric. Sci. 10: 1-12.

Timm, R.W, and Maggenti, A.R. 1966. Nematode parasites of the coelomic cavity of earthworms. V. Plutellonema, Iponema, and Dicelis, new genera (Drilonematidae). Proc. Helminth. Soc. Wash. 33:177-184.

 

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Copyright 1999 by Howard Ferris.
Revised: February 22, 2024.