Laimella

Laimella	Contents	Rev: 08/24/2026
	Classification	Biology and Ecology
	Morphology and Anatomy	Life Cycle
Return to Laimella Menu		Ecosystem Functions and Services
	Distribution	Management
Return to Comesomatidae Menu	Feeding	References
	Go to Nemaplex Main Menu	Go to Dictionary of Terminology

Classification:

Chromadorea
Chromadoria
Chromadorida: Comesomatoidea
Comesomatidae: Sabatieriinae

Laimella Cobb, 1920

Type species of the genus: Laimella longicauda Cobb, 1920

Synonyms:

Morphology and Anatomy:

Genus characterized by:

Nematodes of the subfamily Sabatieriinae generally have a weakly sclerotized buccal cavity with the posterior section as a collapsed tube, spicules enlarged proximally, gubernacular apophyses paired or single.
Anterior and posterior cephalic sensilla closely spaced, posterior setae usually longer than anterior.
Amphid fovea large, multispiral
Buccal cavity small, three small teeth may appear as weak cuticularization at base of anterior buccal cavity.
Tail elongate, posterior section filiform.

Females:

Didelphic - amphidelphic, ovaries outstretched
Vulva near mid-body

Body size range for the species of this genus in the database - Click:

. Laimella ferreroi male: A, esophagus; B, head; C, pre-cloacal region; D, tail; E, habitus. Scale bars: 10 um (A-D) and 100um (E).
Drawings from Barnes et al., 2012

Males:

Diorchis
Spicule simple arcuate
Gubernaculum with posteriorly directed paired apophyses.
Supplements minute or absent.

Ref: Barnes et al., 2012; Huang and Guo, 2022

Distribution:

Described from subtidal sediment habitats.

Laimella spp. are frequently recorded, although usually in low numbers, in muddy or fine sand sediments from the intertidal and estuarine habitats to the deep sea (Barnes et al., 2012; Moreno et al., 2008; Miljutina et al., 2010).

Back to Top

Feeding:

Food Sources and Feeding strategies for the genus Laimella

Back to Top

Biology and Ecology:

Back to Top

Life Cycle:

For Ecophysiological Parameters for this genus, click

Back to Top

Ecosystem Functions and Services:

Back to Top

Management:

Back to Top

References:

Barnes, N., Kim, H.G., Le, W. 2012. New species of free-living marine Sabatieriinae (Nematoda: Monhysterida: Comesomatidae) from around South Korea. Zootaxa 3368:263-290.

Huang, Y. and Guo, Y. 2022. Free-living Marine Nematodes from the East China Sea. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-3836-7_5

Jensen, P. 1979. Revision of Comesomatidae (Nematoda). Zoologica Scripta 8:81-105.

Miljutina, M.A., Miljutin, D.M., Mahatma, R., Galeron, J. 2010. Deep-sea nematode assemblages of the Clarion-Clipperton Nodule Province (Tropical North-Eastern Pacific). Marine Biodiversity, 40:1-15.

Moreno, M.P., Vezzulli, L., Marin, V., Laconi, P., Albertelli, G., Fabiano, M. 2008. The use of meiofauna diversity as an indicator of pollution in harbours. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65(:1428-1435.

Revised by Howard Ferris.
Revised: August 24, 2026.