Thornia

  

Contents

  

Rev 06/10/2023

  Classification Biology and Ecology
Morphology and Anatomy Life Cycle
Return to Thornia Menu Ecosystem Functions and Services
Distribution Management
Return to Thorniidae Menu Feeding  References
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Classification:

Enoplea
Dorylaimia
    Dorylaimida
Thorniidae
              Thornia Meyl, 1954
Type species of the genus: Thornia steatopyga (Thorne & Swanger, 1936) Meyl, 1954
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Morphology and Anatomy:

  • Small to medium size; body length 0.5-2mm; cylindrical without much taper at the ends.
  • Cuticle smooth.
  • Lip region continuous with body contour.
  • Amphids small.
  • Odontostyle slender with thin guiding ring.
  • Posterior part of esophagus about 50% of esophagus length, surrounded by a thin sheath.
  • Female diovarial, amphidelphic; vulva lips not sclerotized.
  • Male spicules short and straight; very thin gubernaculum present.
  • No ventromedian supplements.
  • Tail short, cylindroid, broadly rounded, a little longer in male than in female.

    Ref. Andrassy, 2009. Vinciguerra, 2006.

 

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


 
Differences between the genera Thornia and Nygolaimoides

Thornia:
spicules simple, almost straight, not dorylaimoid.
ventromedian supplements absent.
lip region flattened, not or hardly offset.
guiding ring "double".
the array of pharyngeal gland nuclei is very different from the normal dorylaimoid type, may only be one pair.
male copulatory musculature very weak.
spicules short and straight, nit typically dorylaimoid.
posterior end of male almost straight.		 Nygolaimoides:
the array of pharyngeal gland nuclei is typical dorylaimoid type,five are present.
spicules dorylaimoid.
ventromedian supplements present.
male copulatory musculature normally developed.
posterior end of male curved.

Ref. Loof (1995).
 
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Distribution:

Mainly freshwater habitats.

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Feeding:

Categorized as an omnivore by Yeates et al., 1993.

   
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Biology and Ecology:

  Species of Thornia occur mainly in freshwater habitats, occasionally terrestrial.

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Life Cycle:

For Ecophysiological Parameters for this genus, click 
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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.

Jairajpuri, M.S. and Ahmad, W. 1992, Dorylaimida.  Free-living, Predaceous and Plant-parasitic Nematodes.  E.J. Brill, Leiden 458p.

Loof, P.A.A. 1995. The differences between the genera Thornia Meyl, 1954 and Nygolaimoides Meyl, 1961 (Dorylaimina). Nematologica 41:531-532.

Vinciguerra, M.T. 2006. Dorylaimida Part II: Superfamily Dorylaimoidea.  Pp 392-467 in Eyualem-Abebe, W. Traunspurger and I Andrassy (eds) Freshwater Nematodes: Ecology and Taxonomy. CABI, Cambridge MA.

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: June 10, 2023.