Epidorylaimus		Contents		Rev 05/17/2022
		Classification		Biology and Ecology
		Morphology and Anatomy		Life Cycle
Return to Epidorylaimus Menu				Ecosystem Functions and Services
		Distribution		Management
Return to Qudsianematidae Menu		Feeding		References
		Go to Nemaplex Main Menu		Go to Dictionary of Terminology

Classification:

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Morphology and Anatomy:

• Body length 0.6-2.3 mm.
• Cuticle smooth or finely-striated.
• Lip region offset from body contour; lips separate and angular.
• Odontostyle straight, about 1 to 1.5 x labial diameter; aperture about 1/3 its length.
• Enlarged posterior region of esophagus about 50% of length.
• Females diovarial, amphidelphic, rarely mon-opisthodelphic; vulval slit transverse or pore-like with sclerotized lips.
• Males rare; spicules dorylaimoid; lateral guiding pieces present; ventromedian supplements 4-13.
• Tail conoid, long (3.5-11.5 x anal body diameter), tail tip pointed; similar in both sexes.

Ref. Andrassy, 2009; Ahmad et al., 2016

Key to species of the genus Epidorylaimus Andrassy, 1986 (from Ahmad et al., 2016)

1.       Female genital system amphidelphic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Female genital system mono-opisthodelphic . . . . . . . . .  E. monhystera

2.       Odontostyle less than 15 µm long .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Odontostyle more than 15 µm long. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

3.       Vulva at 36�40% of body length; ovaries very short . . . E.  muscorum

Vulva at more than 40% of body length; ovaries normally developed . .  4

4.       Tail longer; c� = 4.5�7.0 . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Tail shorter; c� = 2.9�3.5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

5.       Smaller species, with short odontostyle (9�11 µm) . . .. .E.  lugdunensis

Medium size species with odontostyle about 14.5�15 µm . . . E.  andrassyi

6.       Tail tip pointed, cuticle near odontostyle distinctly thinner than posteriorly. . . . 7

Tail tip finely rounded, cuticle nearodontostyle as thick as cuticle posteriorly. . . 8

7.       Lips well separated, head sharply offset, a = 28. . . . . . . . . . . . . E.  muchabbatae

Lips hardly separated, head slightly offset, a = 34 . . . . . . . . . .  .E. humilor

8.       Tail nearly cylindrical in posterior, body slender, a =40�63. . . .E.  leptosoma

Tail gradually narrowing, body less slender, a = 24�36 . . . . . .  . E. humilis

9.       Odontostyle more than 25 µm long. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Odontostyle less than 25 µm long . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

10.   Body robust, a = 20�35; tail hook-like, tip sharply pointed. . . . .. . E. .rivalis

Body slender, a = 42�50; tail not hook-like, tip finely rounded . . .E. mellenbachensis

11.   Tail shorter, c = 16�24 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Tail longer, c =10�14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

12.   Rectum about two anal body diameters long . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .E. consobrinus

Rectum about one anal body diameter long . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . E. filicaudatus

13.   Tail 6�8 times anal body diameters long . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . E.  pseudoagilis

Tail 3�5 times anal body diameters long . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

14.    Tail rapidly narrowing to its middle, then cylindrical. .. . . . . . .. . . .E.  agilis

 Tail gradually narrowing to its tip . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . .. . . .E.  angulosus

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Distribution:

Widespread distribution worldwide.

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Feeding:

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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:

Ahmad, W., Imran, Z., Araki, M.  2016. Epidorylaimus monhystera sp. n., an atypical species of the genus Epidorylaimus Andr�ssy, 1986 (Dorylaimida: Qudsianematidae) from Japan. Zootaxa 4072:090�100. 

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

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 17, 2022.