Leptolaimus hydrothermalis		Contents		Rev: 01/01/2024
		Classification		Biology and Ecology
		Morphology and Anatomy		Life Cycle
Return to Leptolaimus Menu				Ecosystem Functions and Services
		Distribution		Management
Return to Leptolaimidae Menu		Feeding		References
		Go to Nemaplex Main Menu		Go to Dictionary of Terminology

Classification:

Chromadorea

  Chromadoria

       Plectida

Leptolaimoidea

Leptolaimidae

       Leptolaimus hydrothermalis Tchesunov, 2015

 

   Synonyms:

     

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Morphology and Anatomy:

• Body slender, elongate spindle-shaped.
•  Cuticle very finely striated. A narrow and sharp lateral crest extends from the level of the nerve ring along the body to the preanal region in males and to the anterior third of the tail in females.
• Anterior end attenuated.
• Inner and outer labial sensilla not discernible.  Four relatively long cephalic setae present.
• Amphideal fovea situated with an oval sclerotized rim, pear-shaped because of anterior sclerotized part of amphideal duct.
•  Scarce setae visible throughout the body.
• Narrow tubular stoma extends posterior behind the amphideal fovea.
•  Pharynx muscular throughout its entire length, slender' slightly inflated posteriorly to a pear-shaped widening
• Cardia not surrounded by intestinal tissue
• Ventral gland cell bodyt posterior to the cardia, to the right of the intestine. The cell body continues anteriorly into a gland neck.

Leptolaimus hydrothermalis differs sharply from all Leptolaimus species except L. papilliger de Man 1876 by the presence of a midventral postcloacal alveole-like structure on the male  tail.

Female:

• Didelphic,  gonads antidromously reflexed;

Male:

• Diorchic; anterior testis outstretched, posterior testis reflexed.
•  Vas deferens to the left of the intestine and supplement tubes.
• Four posterior midventral tubular supplements.
• Spicules short, arcuate, proximally cephalate and distally pointed.
• Gubernaculum with a pair of short and weak dorsal apophyses.
• Tail consists of anterior conical and posterior slender cylindrical portions gradually transforming to one another. Terminal spinneret tube present.
• A midventral structure formed by consecutive alveolar pits in the middle of the tail.
• Posterior paired setae: one preanal subventral, one postanal subdorsal, three consecutive postanal lateroventral setae.

Ref: Tchesunov, 2015

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

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Distribution:

Type specimens collected from Lucky Strike hydrothermal site, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, 1680 m deep, suspension washed off mussels

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Feeding:

Free-living deep-ocean marine nematodes; selective deposit bacteria feeders; ingested particle sizes limited by narrow stoma (eip et al., 1998; Tchesunov, 2015).

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Biology and Ecology :

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Life Cycle:

Ecophysiological Parameters:

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Ecosystem Functions and Services :

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Management:

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References:

Heip, C., Vincx, M., Vranken, G. 1985. The ecology of marine nematodes. Oceanography and marine biology. Ann Rev Lond 23:399-489

Holovachov, O. & Bostrom, S. (2004): Morphology and systematics of the superfamilies Leptolaimoidea Oerley, 1880 and Camacolaimoidea Micoletzky, 1924 (Nematoda: Plectida). Journal of Nematode Morphology and Systematics, 7: 1-49.

Tchesunov, A.V. 2015. Free-living nematode species (Nematoda) in hydrothermal sites of the North Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Helgoland Marine Research 69:343-384.

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Copyright © 1999 by Howard Ferris.
Revised: January 01, 2024.