Aporcelaimus		Contents		Rev 02/21/2023
		Classification		Biology and Ecology
		Morphology and Anatomy		Life Cycle
Return to Aporcelaimus Menu				Ecosystem Functions and Services
		Distribution		Management
Return to Aporcelaimidae Menu		Feeding		References
		Go to Nemaplex Main Menu		Go to Dictionary of Terminology

Classification:

Type species of the genus: Dorylaimus superbus de Man, 1880 = Aporcelaimus superbus (de Man, 1880) Goodey, 1951.

Note: Thorne and Swanger (1936) originally designated Dorylaimus regius de Man, 1876 as type species of their new genus. However, Loog and Heyns (1997) indicated that the nematode had been inadequately described from one female and that the specimen was subsequently lost. They petitioned the International Commisission of Zoological Nomenclature to establish Dorylaimus superbus de Man, 1880 as the type species (Andrassy, 2001)

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Morphology and Anatomy:

• Large nematodes with body length 4-10mm
• Body strongly tapering towards anterior end
• Cuticle thick with fine criss-cross lines.
• Labial region offset from body contour; lips large, hardly separated.
• Oral opening a dorsoventral slit.
• Odontostyle length about equal to labial width; aperture 2/3 to 3/4 of its length.
• Guuiding sheath thin.
• Esophagus strong and muscular
• Female gonad diovarial, amphidelphic; vulva a transverse slit with sclerotized inner lips.
• Male: Spicules strong; ventronmedian supplements 7-30, mostly separated.
• Tail similar in both sexes; short, conoid-rounded or hemispheroid..

Ref. Andrassy, 2009.

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Distribution:

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Feeding:

Categorized as predators and omnivores by Yeates et al. (1993).  Omnivory may include feeding on green algae.

Predation of oligochaetes and nematodes has been reported.

Wood (1973) observed Aporcelaimus sp. feeding on algae, moss and nematodes in culture.

	Aporcelaimus juvenile with green algae in intestine

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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. 2001. A taxonomic review of the genera Aporcelaimus Thorne & Swanger, 1936 and Metapoorcelaimus Lordello, 1965 (Nematoda, Aporcelaimidae) Opusc Zool Budapest 33:7-47.

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

Isatullaeva, R.I. 1967. New nematode species on the ornamental plants in Kazakhstan. Izvest. Akad. Nauk Kazakh. SSR 2:46-50 (in Russian).

Loof, P.A.A. and Heyns, J. 1997. Aporcelaimus Thorne and Swanger, 1936 (Nematoda): proposed designation of Dorylaimus superbus de Man, 1880 as the type species. Bull Zool. Nomenclature 54:80-82.

Thorne, G. 1930.  Predacious nemas of the genus Nygolaimus and a new genus, Aporcelaimus. Journal of Agricultural Reaearch 41:445-466.

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 Zool. 6:1-223.

Wood, F.H. 1973. Nematode feeding relationships: Feeding relationships of soil-dwelling nematodes. Soil Riol. Biochem. 5: 593-601.

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: February 21, 2023.