Dorylaimus		Contents		Rev 05/10/2025
		Classification		Biology and Ecology
		Morphology and Anatomy		Life Cycle
Return to Dorylaimus Menu				Ecosystem Functions and Services
		Distribution		Management
Return to Dorylaimidae Menu		Feeding		References
		Go to Nemaplex Main Menu		Go to Dictionary of Terminology

Classification:

Taxonomic Note:  The genus Dorylaimus, erected by Dujardin in 1845, is the longest-described genus of the Dorylaimoidea.  Many species that are now classified in other genera of the Dorylaimida were originally assigned to this genus (Vinciguerra et al., 2016).

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Morphology and Anatomy:

	Large nematodes, 2 to 9 mm long. Cuticle thick with longitudinal ridges. Lip region slightly offset from body contour; lips somewhat separated. Stronmg odontostyle, length 2-3x labial diameter; aperture 1/3 of odontostyle length. Guiding ring double near anterior of odontostyle. Esophagus muscular, wider posterior portion about 50% of length. Female genital system diovarial, amphidelphic. Vulva a transverse slit. Male with numerous, small, ventromedian supplements. Female tail elongate to filiform; male tail short and rounded. Sex ratio about equal. Ref: Andrássy, 2009.
Dorylaimus sp. Photo: Hanny van Megen, Wageningen University
	Dorylaimus sp. with odontostyle extended
Body size range for the species of this genus in the database - Click:

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Distribution:

Freshwater habitats and wet terrestrial environments.

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Feeding:

Food Sources and Feeding strategies for the genus Dorylaimus

Categorized as omnivores (Yeates et al., 1993).

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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:

Andrassy, I. 2009. Free-living Nematodes of Hungary III.  Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest. 608p.

Dujardin, F. (1845). Histoire naturelle des Helminthes ou vers intestinaux. Paris, France, Librairie Encyclop�dique de Roret.

Yeates, G.W., T. Bongers, R. G. M. De Goede, D. W. Freckman, and S. S. Georgieva. 1993. Feeding habits in soil nematode families and genera—An outline for soil ecologists. Journal of Nematology 25:315-331

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Copyright © 1999 by Howard Ferris.
Revised: May 10, 2025.