Pellioditis koreana		Contents		Rev 02/03/2026
		Classification		Biology and Ecology
		Morphology and Anatomy		Life Cycle
Return to Pellioditis Menu				Ecosystem Functions and Services
		Distribution		Management
Return to Rhabditidae Menu		Feeding		References
		Go to Nemaplex Main Menu		Go to Dictionary of Terminology

Classification:

          Chromadorea

              Rhabditia

                Rhabditida

                  Rhabditoidea

                   Rhabditidae

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Morphology and Anatomy:

General Characteristics:

• characterized by its moderately robust body, 1.27�1.73 mm long,
• lip region 2.2�3.8 times as wide as high, stoma tubular, rhabditoid
• lateral fields with four lines,
• pharynx with rounded basal bulb, anterior part of the pharynx 1.2�1.6 times longer than posterior part, hemizonid prominent, located adjacent to the middle or posterior part of isthmus,
• excretory pore located anterior to basal bulb or within the anterior part of basal bulb,
• tail cupola-shaped, with angular sides and a slender spike; phasmids prominent, papilla-like, flanking the cupola part,
• dauer juvenile with a long tail, and tapering to a filiform posterior end.
• molecular phylogenies indicate that P. koreana is a sister species to P. zhejiangensis.

Male:

• monorchic, testis reelexed
• male tail region with nine pairs of genital papillae in a 1 + (1 + 1) + 2 + 1 + 3 pattern, spicules 48.0�70.5 um long,
• gubernaculum less than half of spicule length long,
• bursa peloderan, surrounding tail.

Female:

• Didelphic-amphidelphic
• Vulva close to mid-body

Ref: Mwamula et al., 2025

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Distribution:

Described from Gwangju, Gyeonggi-do Province, Republic of Korea.

Pellioditis koreana was recovered and dscribed from the cadavers of larvae of the white-spotted flower chafer, Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis. The beetle larvae are eible and used in traditional Asian medicine to treat hepatic disorders, inflammation, and benign prostatic hyperplasia. The beetle larvae are  rich in bioactive compounds, including  peptides, phenols, and fatty acids, often used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics (Mwamula et al., 2025). 

This species represents the first record of an entomo-parasitic relationship in the genus Pellioditis. Most species have been described as facultative parasites of gastropod molluscs (Mwamula et al., 2025). 

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Feeding:

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Biology and Ecology:

Most of the biology of species of this genus is inferred from studies on P. hermaphrodita

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Life Cycle:

Infective stage are dauer juveniles

Ecophysiological Parameters:

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Ecosystem Functions and Services:

Potential biological control agents for pest slugs.

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Management:

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References:

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Copyright  1999 by Howard Ferris.
Revised: February 03, 2026.