Draconema		Contents		Rev: 08/10/2026
		Classification		Biology and Ecology
		Morphology and Anatomy		Life Cycle
Return to Draconema Menu				Ecosystem Functions and Services
		Distribution		Management
Return to Draconematidae Menu		Feeding		References
		Go to Nemaplex Main Menu		Go to Dictionary of Terminology

Classification:

Chromadorea

  Chromadoria

   Desmodorida

Desmodorina

             Desmodoroidea

                Draconematidae

     Draconematinae

        Draconema Cobb, 1913

     

Type species: Draconema cephalatum, Cobb 1913

    Synonyms:

Chaetosoma Claparede, 1863

Drepanonema Cobb, 1933

Claparediella Filipjev, 1934

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Morphology and Anatomy:

• Head capsule present
• Body cuticle anterior 7-14 annules larger
• Cephalic adhesion tubes typical, located on helmet
• Posterior adhesion tubes typical of family
• Amphid ob rustrun, loop-shaped (in male); open spiral or unispiral in female
• Buccal cavity narrow, without teeth
• Pharynx cylindrical with dumbell-shaped end  bulb with lumen wall not thickened.
• No postanal edhesion tubes

  Ref: Rho et al., 2011; Tchesunov, 2013

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Distribution:

Free-living marine nematodes

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Feeding:

Food Sources and Feeding strategies for the genus Draconema

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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:

Allen M.W., Noffsinger E.M. 1978. A revision of the marine nematodes of the superfamily Draconematoidea Filipjev, 1918 (Nematoda: Draconematina). Univ Calif Publs Zool 109: 1-133

Decraemer W, Gourbault N, Backeljau T 1997. Marine nematodes of the family Draconematidae (Nemata): a synopsis with phylogenetic relationships. Hydrobiologia 357: 185-202

Raes, M., Decraemer, W., Vanreusel, A. 2009. Draconematidae (Nematoda) from cold-water corals in the Porcupine Seabight: The genus  Cygnonema Allen & Noffsinger, 1978. Organisms, Diversity, Evolution  37:e1-e20.

Rho, H.S., Decraemer, W., Sorensen, M.V., Min, W.G., Jung, J. and Kim, W. 2011. Megadraconema cornutum, a new genus and species from
Korea, with a discussion of its classification and relationships within the family Draconematidae (Nematoda, Desmodorida) based on morphological and molecular characters. Zoological Sci., 28:68-84.

Tchesunov. A.V. 2013. 7.13 Order Desmodorida de Coninck, 1965 In Schmidt-Rheas and de Gruyter, W. Handbook of Zoology.Gastrocticha, Cycloneuralia, Gnatifera. Volume 2: Nematoda

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Copyright © 1999 by Howard Ferris.
Revised: August 10, 2026.