Odontopharynx longicaudata

Odontopharynx longicaudata	Contents	Rev: 12/17/2024
	Classification	Biology and Ecology
	Morphology and Anatomy	Life Cycle
Return to Odontopharynx Menu	Economic Importance	Ecosystem Functions and Services
	Distribution	Management
Return to Odontopharyngidae Menu	Feeding	References
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Odontopharynx longicaudata De Man, 1912
Odonopharynx longicaudata is the type species of the genus.

    Synonyms:

Morphology and Anatomy:

Body cylindrical, elongate; tail long, filiform, terminus obscure.
Cuticle with fine transverse striae, longitudinal striae and lateral fields absent.
Anterior terminus broadly flattened, without distinct lips.
Twelve cephalic sensory papillae arranged in single whorl, inner and second circlets joined; sensilla basiconica (peg or cone shaped).
Amphids distinct, 4 um posterior to lips; opening transversally elongate oval, opening length 3 um.
Stoma large, length 2.5 times midstoma width; armed with teeth; anterior globose narrowing posteriorly, telostome not elongated; walls heavily cuticularized.
Anterior half of stoma with: one large dorsal tooth; six small teeth (two subventrals, two laterals, two ventrolaterals), near dorsal tooth level.
Posterior25% of stoma armed: two separate multi-teeth sets (one subventral, one ventrolateral); three teeth each set, teeth fused at base. Large dorsal tooth solid, movable; dorsal esophageal gland duct opens through tooth, opening ventral, subterminal. Small teeth solid, not movable, tips heavily cuticularized.
Esophagus three part: corpus cylindrical, heavily muscled, lumen thickened, metacorpus without swelling or valve; isthmus short; posterior bulb swollen, glandular, three distinct gland cell nuclei; without valve.
Nerve ring near posterior bulb.
Hemizonid 3-7 um anterior to excretory pore.
Excretory pore 29-58 um) posterior to corpus, duct cuticularized. Excretory cell distinct.
Esophageal-intestinal valve indistinct.
Tail at firs conical and then filiform

Anterior of Odontopharynx longcaudata

Photo by J. Chitamber

Females:

Usually larger than males.
Monodelphiic prodelphic, ovary reflexed, sometimes reflex extends posterior to vulva.
Vulva lips may protrude.
Spermatheca absent.
Two postuterine sacs, left sac usually longest, both filled with sperm.
Anus crescent shaped; posterior lip with one punctation, obscure.

Males:

Monorchic, testis reflexed.
Two spicules, unequal size; left spicule well developed, arcuate; right spicule reduced, one-sixth length of left, narrowly triangular.
Gubernaculum well developed. Three distinct cloacal glands.
Papillae numerous, positions detailed in original description,.

Ref: Chitambar and Noffsinger, 1989

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

Originally described by de Man in 1912 from a rotting hyacinth bulb in Wageningen, Netherlands. In Europe, O. longicaudata has been found in coastal saline soils and ground water and in soil around the roots of various salt tolerant plants.

The rpecies was discovered in California, USA, in nonsaline sandy soil around roots of Poa annua (annual bluegrass) growing on a golf course in San Francisco. (Chitambar and Noffsinger, 1989).

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Economic Importance:

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Feeding:

Predator on other nematodes.

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Biology and Ecology:

Odontopharynx longicaudata can be cultured on the bacterivore, Acrobeloides sp. as prey on 1.5% water agar. Such cultures faciliate study of the development and predaceous behavior of the nematode.

Odontopharynx longicaudata attacked and killed 6 out of 17 prey species provided and 100 of the individuals of Anguina pacificae were killed (Chitamber and Noffsinger, 1989b).

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Life Cycle:

Life cycle completed in 13-14 days when feeding on Acrobeloiodes sp on agar plates (Chitambar and Noffinger, 1989).

Ecophysiological Parameters:

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

De Man, J.G. 1912. Odontopharynx longicaudata n.g. n.sp. Zoologische Jahrbucher 32:637-643.