Pungentus

  

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Rev 09/13/2023

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

Enoplea
Dorylaimia
 Dorylaimida
Nordiidae
Pungentinae

 

              Pungentus Thorne & Swanger, 1936

Type species of the genus: Pungentus pungens Thorne & Swanger, 1936

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Morphology and Anatomy:

 Andrassy (1963) pointed out that the species listed under Pungentus fell into two groups: one group with a long, curved odontostyle with a small aperture and a double guiding ring, the other with a short straight odontostyle with a larger aperture and a simple guiding ring.  In Andrassy (2009), he established the genus Pungentella to accomodate the latter group. The frrst group remained in Pungentus.

  • Body length 0.6-4.7 mm.
  • Cuticle smooth to finely striated
  • Lips angular with prominent papillae
  • Sclerotized platelets at stoma opening
  • Odontostyle long, 2-3x labial diameter; slender, slightly curved; aperture snall, maybe 10-15% of odontostyle length
  • Guiding ring double
  • Esophagus widening at 50% or greter of its length
  • Female gonad usually monodelphic-opisthodelphic; rarely didelphic-amphidelphic; vulva a transverse slit with sclerotized inner lips (pars refringens vaginae).
  • Male spicules dorylaimoid; 3-15 separated ventro-median supplements
  • Tail in both sexes short, hemispheroid; sometimes clavate; sometimes with cuticular blisters

Ref: Andrassy, 2009

  

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

 

Key to the species of Pungentus (adapted from Alvárez-Ortega and Pena-Santiago, 2014)

 

 

 

1

Female genital system didelphic-amphidelphic

2

Female genital system monodelphic-opisthodelphic

7

2

Odontostyle very long, 67-70 um (>3x head width)

P. macrostylus

Odontostyle shorter, <40 um (<2x head width)

3

3

Odontostyle length 18-28 um

4

Odontostyle length 30 um

6

4

Female tail conoid, rounded, longer (44 um, c=35-38, c'=1.2)

P. parapungens

Female tail rounded, shorter (<35 um, c>40, c'<1.1)

5

5

Tail with abundant saccate bodies, male present

P. pungens

Tail without saccate bodies, male absent

P. marietani

6

Body slender (a=40-43) tail short (30 um, c=67)

P. angulosus

Body less slender (a=30-33) tail longer (40-44 um, c=45-50)

P. crassus

7

Tail conoid and longer (c'=1.3)

P. sparsus

Tail rounded, conoid and shorter (c' usually <1)

8

8

Prevulval sac well developed, 1 body diam long

P. monohystera

Prevulval sac short or absent

9

9

Long body, 1.4-2.0 mm; odontostyle > 30 um

10

Body shorter, < 1.4 mm long; odontostyle <30 um

11

10

Tail length distinctly clavate

P. clavatus

Tail not clavate

P. silvestris

11

Body slender (a=45-56); female tail shorter (c=64-77)

12

Body less slender (a=30-42); female tail longer (c=40-62)

13

12

Body length 0.8-1.0 mm; odontostyle 14-16 um.

P. angulatus

Body length 1.3 mm; odontostyle 26 um.

P. longidens

13

Body less slender (a=26-30)

P. juglensi

Body less slender (a>30)

14

14

Odontostyle length 12-13 um

P. minor

Odontostyle length 14-17 um

15

15

Esophageal expansion about 40% of esophagus length

P. engadinensis

Esophageal expansion about 60% of esophagus length

P. fagi

 

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Distribution:

Generally terrestrial environments, rarely aquatic habitats. Frequently reported from forested soils in the Northern Hemisphere; less frequently from the Southern Hemisphere (Vazifeh et al (2020).

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Feeding:

Some are considered plant-feeders but there is not good experimental determination, more commonly listed as predators and omnivores (Yeates et al., 1993).

However, needle-like odontophore considered a possibel adaptation to piercing root cells of plants, but with no definitive evidence of plant feeding (Heydari, et al., 2020).

Reported from rhizospheres of forest trees and grasses.

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Biology and Ecology:
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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:

Alvarez-Ortega, S.A., Peña-Santiago, R. 2014. Redescription of Pungentus pungens Thorne & Swanger, 1936 (Dorylaimida: Nordiidae), with a revised taxonomy of the genus. Nematology 16:387-401.

Andrassy, I. 1963. Nematologische Notizen, 12. Annales Universitatis Scientiarum Budapestinensis 5:3-8.

Andrassy, I. 2009. Free-living Nematodes of Hungary, III (Nematoda errantia). Pedozoologica Hungarica 3. Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary. 608p.

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

Heydari, F., Gharibzadfeh, F., Pourjam, E., Pedram, M. 2020.  New and known species of the genus Pungentus Thorne & Swanger, 1936 (Dorylaimida, Nordiidae) from Iran. Journal of Helminthology 94, e32, .https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022149X18001232

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

Thorne G and Swanger H.H. 1936. A monograph of the nematode genera Dorylaimus Dujardin, Aporcelaimus n. g., Dorylaimoides n. g. and Pungentus n. g. Capita Zoologica 6, 1-223.

Vazifeh, N.,Niknam, G., Jabbari, H., Pena-Santiago, R. 2020. Morphological and molecular characterization of Pungentus sufiyanensis n. sp. and additional data on P. engadinensis (Altherr, 1950) Altherr, 1952 (Dorylaimida: Nordiidae) from northwest of Iran. J. Nematology 52: | DOI: 10.21307/jofnem-2020-030

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: September 13, 2023.