Gairleanema		Contents		Rev: 06/27/2026
		Classification		Biology and Ecology
		Morphology and Anatomy		Life Cycle
Return to Gairleanema Menu				Ecosystem Functions and Services
		Distribution		Management
Return to Enoplidae Menu		Feeding		References
or Return to Trypyloididae Menu		Go to Nemaplex Main Menu		Go to Dictionary of Terminology

Classification:

Enoplea

  Enoplia
        Enoplida

            Enoplina

   Enoploidea

                    Enoplidae (or Tripyloididae)

Gairleanema Warwick & Platt, 1973

Type species of the genus:  Gairleanema anagremilae Warwick & Platt, 1973

    Synonyms:

Back to Top

Morphology and Anatomy:

• Cuticle with indistinct transverse striation.
• Mouth surrounded by three high lips each with a pair of labial setae which have bulbous swelling about hmid-length. Ten cephalic setae; six longer and four shorter. A few short  setae scattered on the anterior cervical region.
• Buccal cavity with a heavily cuticularized dorsal onchium pierced by a duct which leads into the esophageal musculature. Two subventral teeth with rounded tips.
• Amphids  just behind lateral cephalic setae, rather indistinct
• Esophagus cylindrical, 22-25 um wide at its base. Nerve ring 144-150 um from anterior.
• Cardia surrounded by a sphincter
• Tail 3.0-4.8 cbd long, posterior half cylindrical.
• Marine nematodes

Ref: Ref: Warwick and Platt, 1973; Smol et al., 2014

Back to Top

Distribution:

Free-living marine nematodes.

Back to Top

Feeding:

Food Sources and Feeding strategies for the genus Gairleanema

Predators of marine organisms

Back to Top

Biology and Ecology:

Back to Top

Life Cycle:

Back to Top

Ecosystem Functions and Services:

Back to Top

Management:

Back to Top

References:

Smol, N., Muthumbi, A., Sharma, J. 2014. Order Enoplida, 7.3. In Schmidt-Rhaesa, A. (ed) Handbook of Zoology. De Gruyter, Berlin

Warwick, R.M. and Platt, H.M. 1973. New and little known marine nematodes from a Scottish sandy beach.. Cahiers de Biologie Marine 14:135-158.

Back to Top

Copyright © 1999 by Howard Ferris.
Revised: June 27, 2026.