Matthesonema		Contents		Rev 07/03/2023
		Classification		Biology and Ecology
		Morphology and Anatomy		Life Cycle
Return to Matthesonema Menu				Ecosystem Functions and Services
		Distribution		Management
Return to Rhabditidae Menu		Feeding		References
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Classification:

Chromadorea

  Rhabditia

    Rhabditida

      Rhabditoidea

        Rhabditidae

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Morphology and Anatomy:

• Body medium sized (1-2 mm).
• Lips amalgamated, not offset from body contour.
• Buccal cylinder rhabditoid; posterior 30% of its length enclosed by a pharyngeal sleeve.
•  Pharynx with median bulb and terminal bulb with valvular apparatus.
• Tail elongated, of similar shape in both sexes. Bursa vestigial, all genital papillae posterior to the cloaca. Spicules fused at about 2/3 of their length.

Female:

• Monodelphic, prodelphic without a postvulval sac
• Vulva located in the posterior portion of the body.

Male:

• Bursa vestigial, all genital papillae posterior to the cloaca.
• Spicules fused at about 2/3 of their length.

Based on the diffecences betweem M. eremitum and the type species, M. tylosus, Sudhaus (1986) divided the genus into 2 subgenera:

Subgenus Mattheonema Osche, 1955:

• Lips with bundles of bristles,
• Buccal cavity with glottoid apparatus,
• Tail conoid,
• Vulva near anus,
• Bursa nearly reduced, less than nine pairs of genital papillae, g
• Gbernaculum present.
• Type species: Matthesonema (Matthesonema) tylosum Osche, 1955.

Subgenus Caudpilla, Sudhaus, 1986

• Lips devoid of bristles,
• Buccal cavity without glottoid apparatus
• Tail end clavate,
• Vulva shifted anteriad, vulva-anus distance about double tail length,
• Bursa a distict remnant, about nine pairs of genital papillae present, only some of them support the bursa,
• Gubernaculum absent.
• Type species: Matthesonema (Caudpilla) eremitum Sudhaus, 1986

Ref: Sudhaus, 1986

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Distribution:

Type species reported from crustaceans; species M. eremitum described from the shell of hermit crabs (Coenonita sp.) in the Mactan Island, Philippines, apparently as commensals, not as parasites (Sudhaus, 1986).

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Feeding:

  Bacterial feeding; bacteria observed in stoma and pharynx.

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Biology and Ecology:

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Life Cycle:

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Ecosystem Functions and Services:

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Management:

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References:

Osche, G. 1955. Uber die Vergesellschaftung von Nematoden und Crustaceen, mit einer Beschreibung von Matthesonema tylosa n. g. n. sp. (Nematoda) aus dem Kiemenraum einer Assel. Zoologischer Anzeiger 155:253-262.

Sudhaus, W. 1986. Matthesonema eremitum n.sp. (Nematoda, Rhabditida) sssociated with hermit crabs (Coenobita) from the Philippines and Its phylogenetic implications. Nematologica 32:247-255.

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Copyright © 1999 by Howard Ferris.
Revised: July 03, 2023.

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