Akanthepsilonema		Contents		Rev 06/03/2022
		Classification		Biology and Ecology
		Morphology and Anatomy		Life Cycle
Return to Akanthepsilonema Menu				Ecosystem Functions and Services
		Distribution		Management
Return to Epsilonematidae Menu		Feeding		References
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 Classification:

Chromadorea

  Chromadoria

   Desmodorida

Desmodorina

             Desmodoroidea

              Epsilonematidae

     Epsilonematinae

       Akanthepsilonema Gourbault and Decraemer, 1991

 

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Morphology and Anatomy:

	Akanthepsilonema oceanopolis.  Female stained with Rose Bengal From Zeppilli et al., 2014

Epsilonematidae are characterized by having an ε-shaped body (hence the name) and ambulatory setae, used in looper locomotion, on the ventral surface of the body.  The presence of separate outlets for the three caudal glands is common among the genera of this family.  

The genus Akanthepsilonema is characterized by:

•  the presence of eight subcephalic setae,
• ambulatory setae arranged in six longitudinal rows,
• an elongated anterior body region;
• a  maximum-to-minimum body diameter of less than two.
•  the presence of large dorsal thorns is no longer considered a generic feature.

ref: Zeppilli et al., 2014

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Distribution:

Species have been found with supralittoral or intertidal marine fauna, but also in deep ocean at 200m and 1000m depths.

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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:

Raes, M., W. Decraemer and A. Vanreusel. 2006. Postembryonic morphology in Epsilonematidae, with a discussion on the variability of caudal gland outlets.  J. Nematology 38:97-118.

Zeppilli, D., Bongiorni, L. Decraemer, W., Vanreusel, A. 2014. Akanthepsilonema oceanopolis sp. nov. (Nematoda: Epsilonematidae), a new free-living marine nematode from the Condor Seamount (North-East Atlantic Ocean). An aod - les cahiers naturalistes de l�Observatoire marin, vol. III (1), 2014 / 10

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Copyright © 1999 by Howard Ferris.
Revised: June 03, 2022.