Rev: 08/08/2023
Type soecies of the genus Chronogaster gracilis Cobb, 1913
Synonyms:
"Stirrup-shaped" amphid.
Drawing from University of Nebraska
Four cephalic setae.
Oval or uni-spiral amphids.
Stoma elongate, tubular or funnel-shaped, no teeth.
Cuticle striated, sometimes with longitudinal ridges and spines
Esophagus with terminal bulb that has an elongate, multi-chamber valve and long extension so that the bulb may appear to be median rather than terminal.
Females monovarial, prodelphic.
Male with supplements
No spinneret or caudal glands in tail.
The family and genus names literally translates as clock-stomach. Andrássy (2005) speculates that Cobb provided the name to the genus Chronogaster because the elongate valve in the terminal bulb resembles the hands of a clock. Alternatively, the esophagus with terminal bulb and its elongate extension might be considered to resemble the pendulum of a clock.
Primarily freshwater nematodes; also in thermal springs, mosit soils, algal and fungal mats (Abebe et al., 2013)..
Species of the genus are reported to have great physiological plasticity and tolerance to high level of oxygen fluctuation; besides freshwater, they occupy salty habitats including caves (Abebe et al., 2006; Abebe et al., 2013; Hodda et al., 2006).
Abebe, E., Ferebee, B., Taylor, T., Mundo-Ocampo, M., Mekete, T., De Ley, P. 2013. Neotobrilus nicsmolae n. sp. (Tobrilidae: Nematoda) and Chronogaster carolinensis n. sp. (Chronogasteridae: Nematoda) from Lake Phelps, North Carolina. J. Nematology 45: 66-77.
Abebe E., Traunspurger W., Andra�ssy I., eds. 2006. Freshwater nematodes: ecology and taxonomy. Wallingford, UK; CAB International.
Andrássy, I. 2005. Free-living Nematodes of Hungary Vol 1. Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest.
Hodda, M., Ocana, A., and Traunspurger, W. 2006. Nematodes from extreme freshwater habitats. Pp. 179�210 in E. Abebe, W. Traunspurger, and I. Andra�ssy, ed. Freshwater nematodes: Ecology and taxonomy. Wallingford, UK: CAB International.