Baujardia mirabilis

  

Contents

  

Rev 08/09/2022

  Classification Biology and Ecology
Morphology and Anatomy Life Cycle

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Ecosystem Functions and Services
Distribution Management
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Classification:

       Chromadorea
         Rhabditida
         Rhabditia
          Panagrolaimidae

Baujardiinae


        Baujardia mirabilis Bert, Tandingan De Ley, Van Driessche, Segers, & De Ley, 2003.

 

Type species of the genus Baujardia .
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Morphology and Anatomy:

 


Female:

  • Large body large (1.8-2.7 mm), almost straight .
  •  Cuticle fiÂŽnely striated
  • Lateral fiÂŽeld narrow, starting at end of procorpus and becoming inconspicuous near anus.
  • Mouth opening partly covered by six liplets each bearing a labial papilla. Liplets continuous with six discrete lips separated by shallow grooves.
  • Four short cephalic setae, at base of subventral and subdorsal lips.
  • Amphid opening slit like, encircled by a round shallow incisure and situated two discontinuous annuli posterior to setae.
  • Stoma triradiate, relatively wide along full length . Lengths of cheilostom, gymnostom and stegostom in ratio 1 : 1 : 2.
  • Dorsal gland opening at base of projections in stegostom.
  • Pharynx with a cylindrical corpus about 68% of length, a short isthmus and an oval bulbus with transverse valves. Cardia well developed.
  • Nerve ring at transition of corpus-isthmus. Excretory pore anterior to nerve ring, wide but difficult to see.
  •  Rectum long, with large sphincter cells at its beginning.
  • Monodelphic, prodelphic,with reflexed ovary.
  • Two opposing and offset spermatheca-like pouches present at junction of oviduct and uterus.
  •  Vulva a transverse slit with overhanging anterior vulval lip located at 75% of body length. Vagina with thickened walls and surrounded by strong muscles.
  • Prominent postvulval sac with anterior stalk and posterior pouch.
  •  Anus a broad, curved slit in ventral view.
  • Tail elongate-conical with ÂŽfine tip.

Male: 

  • General morphology similar to female but slightly shorter.
  •  Esophogeal region 20-25% of body length.
  • Monorchic, reproductive tract occupying 50-75% of body length,
  • Large granulated spermatocytes.
  • Spicules massive, arcuate, each with complex angular manubrium and well developed velum. Demarcation of shaft and velum strongly sclerotised, spicule tip not divided.
  • Gubernaculum with ventral triangularextension and prominent crura which may protrude from cloacal aperture.
  • Seven precloacal papillae, the first pair subventral on cuticular sockets at about two anal body diam. anterior to cloaca, second pair lateral, less than one anal body diam. before cloaca, third pair subventral on cuticular sockets at level of precloacal lip and one medioventral papilla located on higher socket at same level as second precloacal pair.
  • Four papilla pairs on tail:
  •  Tail elongate,conical, narrowing sharply at midpoint and with ÂŽfine tail tip. No phasmids observed .

Ref: Bert et al., 2003
   

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

 

  
   
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Distribution:

Described from the liquid in pitchers of the carnivorous plant Nepenthes mirabilis (Lour.) Druc in the Tung-Kai Botanical Garden in Trang Province, near the Isthmus of Kra, Southern Thailand.
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Feeding:

 
 
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Biology and Ecology:

Bert et al (2003) assumed that the pitchers of Nepenthes mirabilis are the natural habitat of Baujardia mirabilis . The pitchers at the type locality contained a diverse fauna, dominated by mosquito larvae, midges and Baujardia, as well as a few dipteran and coleopteran larvae in an ecologically complex community similar to the bassociation inhabiting Sarracenia pitchers. The nematodes may have a phoretic relationship with one or more insect species. Closely related genera are also capable of withstanding harsh environments; Turbatrix aceti (the vinegar eelworm), Panagrellus redivivus, P. silusiae and P. nepenthicolainhabit vinegar, bookbind. In general, little is known about the occurrence or biology of nematodes in pitcher plants (Bert et al., 2003).

 

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Life Cycle:

Ecophysiological Parameters:

For Ecophysiological Parameters for this species, click If species level data are not available, click for genus level parameters
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Ecosystem Functions and Services:

 

 

 

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Management:

 

 

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References:

Bert, W., Tandingan De Ley, I., Van Driessche, R., Segers, H., and De Ley, P. 2003. Baujardia mirabilis gen. n., sp. n. from pitcher plants and its phylogenetic position within Panagrolaimidae (Nematoda: Rhabditida). Nematology 5:405-420.

 

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Copyright © 1999 by Howard Ferris.
Revised: August 09, 2022 .