Siconema neozealandicum

 

Contents

 

Rev: 04/25/2026

  Classification Hosts
Morphology and Anatomy Life Cycle
Return to Siconema Menu Economic Importance Damage
Distribution Management
Return to Ungellidae Menu Feeding  References
    Go to Nemaplex Main Menu   Go To Dictionary of Terminology 

Classification:

Chromadorea
       Rhabditida
       Tylenchina
        Drilonematoidea
             Ungellidae
Ungellinae

Siconema neozealandicum Yeates & Spiridinov, 1996

    Synonyms:

     

Back to Top

Morphology and Anatomy:

Characteristic features of S. neozealandicum (Ungellidae):

Female:

  • Body gradually narrowing anteriorly; part of tail around suckers strongly swollen.
  • Head with 2 hooks, 9-10 um long, widely divergent blades, base 10 um long.
  • Stoma opens in center of hook base.
    centre of hook base. Amphid aperture slit-like, close to base of hooks.
  • Stoma reduced. Esophagus clavate with reduced muscular fibers, and 3 large nuclei
    in basal part. Nerve ring on central part of esophagus at level of excretory pore.
  • Large excretory cell with prominent nucleus; cutiulcrized duct to pore.
  • Monodelphic; spermatheca with spherical sperm at flexure in ovary; ovary tip behind anus.
  •  Up to 10 fully formed eggs in uterus; eggshell with tuberculate surface
  • Suckers large, with superficial spot (60 um approx. diam.) of spongy tissue; 2 thin fibres; behind suckers tail tapers gradually

Male:

  •  Cephalic hooks similar to female
  • Monorchic, testis reflexed
  • Lumina of vas deferens and intestine merge c. 30 um before anus.
  • No copulatory apparatus or sensillae;
  •  Suckers 50-60 um behind anus, longitudinally elongated with aperture
    15-20 um in diameter.
  • Tail long, spindle-shaped tail, only slightly swollen at level of sucker

Ref: Yeates and Spiridnov, 1006

Siconema neozealandicum Female: A, entire body; B and C: anterior end; D, egg with partially formed shell; E, surface pattern of egg-shell; F, ovary and intestine in posterior of
body (int. lum. = intestinal lumen; ov. lum. = lumen along ovary axis)
Drawings from Yeates and Spiridinov, 1996.
 

 Reported median body size for this species (Length mm; width micrometers; weight micrograms) - Click:

 

Back to Top

Distribution:

Described from coelomic cavity of earthworm Octochaetus multiporus from Upper Hutt, New Zealand.

Back to Top

Economic Importance:

 

 

Back to Top

Feeding:

Parasites of the body cavity of earthworms, Octochaetus multiporus

Back to Top

Life Cycle:

Direct life-cycle, earthworms the definitive and only host.

Ecophysiological Parameters:

For Ecophysiological Parameters for this species, click If species level data are not available, click for genus level parameters

 

 
Back to Top

Damage:

Back to Top

Management:

 
Back to Top

References:

Yeates, G.W., Spiridinov, S.E. 1996.  New nematodes of the families Drilonematidae, Ungellidae, and Mesidionematidae from New Zealand megascolecid earthworms. New Zealand J. Zool. 23:381-399.
Back to Top
 
Copyright  1999 by Howard Ferris.
Revised: April 25, 2026.