Pungentus pungens

Pungentus pungens	Contents	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 pungens Thorne & Swanger, 1936

This type species of the genus Pungentus was poorly characterized by Thorne and Swanger (1936). A more detailed redescription is provided by Alvarez-Ortega and Pena-Santiago (2014).

Morphology and Anatomy:

Slender (a=40-54) nematodes of medium length, 1.51-1.94 mm.
Cuticle 3-layered, especially obvious in caudal region.
Lip region rounded, offset from body contour by a weak constriction
Lips mostly amalgamated
Amphid foveae funnel shaped; aperture 45-50% as wide as lip-region width.
Odontostyle slightly sinuate, short (<30 µm) length, 1.8-2 x lip region width; aperture 17-20% of its length
Guiding ring double, about 1 lip region diam from anterior end.
Odontophore rod-like; about 90% length of odontostyle.
Esophageal enlargement occupying about 57% of total esophagus length.
Cardia rounded, conoid.

Female:

Didelphic-amphidelphic
Sperm cells may be stored in pars dilatata
Vulva a transverse slit in a depression of the body surface; pars refringens vaginae with two drop-shaped sclerotized pieces.
Tail short, rounded with saccate bodies in subventral region

Male:

Genital system diorchic, testes opposed.
An ad-cloacal pair of supplements and 10 widely spaced ventromenian supplements.
Spicules curved and slender
Tail similar to female.

Ref: Alvarez-Ortega and Pena-Santiago, 2014

Vulval depression and caudal region of female showing subventral saccate bodies
Photograph from Alvarez-Ortega and Pena-Santiago (2014)

Reported median body size for this species (Length mm; width micrometers; weight micrograms) - Click:

Distribution:

Type locality Virginia, USA but widely distributed in North America.

Feeding:

Categorized by Yeates et al., 1993 as a predator and omnivore and perhaps plant feeding.

Life Cycle:

Ecophysiological Parameters:

For Ecophysiological Parameters for this species, click	If species level data are not available, click for genus level parameters

Ecosystem Functions and Services:

References:

Alvarez-Ortega, S.A., Pena-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. 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.

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