Diastolaimus		Contents		Rev 02/21/2024
		Classification		Biology and Ecology
		Morphology and Anatomy		Life Cycle
Return to Diastolaimus menu				Ecosystem Functions and Services
		Distribution		Management
Return to Chambersiellidae menu		Feeding		References
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Classification:

      Chromadorea
        Rhabditida
         Rhabditia
          Chambersiellidae

Diastolaimus  (Massey, 1963) Andrassy, 1984

Synonym: Santafea Massey, 1963

The genus Santafea was synonymized with Diastolaimus by Andrassy (1984)

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Morphology and Anatomy:

Diastolaimus croca:  A, B. Head (a) amphid aperture (s) sensilla pouch; C. Face view; D. Male tail; E. Female midbody; F. Female Diastolaimus (Santafea) croca, from Massey, 1963
	Body size range for the species of this genus in the database - Click:

Cuticle .finely striated.
Six prominent cephalic papillae;

Lip tregion without cephalic cirri (elaborate projections).
Stoma similar to Chambersiella.
Cheilorhabdions and protorhahdions distinct, the meso, -meta and telorhabdions fused into a glottid apparatus which extends well back into the precorpus of the esophagus.
Amphid opening at the anterior 1/3- of the telostom.
Corpus of -the esophagus without a bulb but set off by a slight swelling at its base;
Isthmus swelling to a valvate ,terminal bulb.
Ovaries paired; vulva at midbody.
Testis single, spicules, paired; gubernaculum present.
Male tail with several pairs of: caudal papillae.
Tails in both sexes with a hooked terminus.

Diastolaimus-is readily distinguishable from Chambersiella in the absence of cephalic cirri or hairlike setae.

Ref: Massey, 1963; Sanwal, 1971

Type species: Diastolaimus croca n. sp.

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Distribution:

The type specimens were taken from the Sandia Mountains, Cibola National Forest, and the Otowi section of Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico.

They :were found associated with Scolytus ventralis Lee  in Abies concolor (Gord. and Glend.) Lindl. and Phloeosinus sp. in Juniperus osteosperma (Torr.) Little.

Massey, 1963

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Feeding:

Bacterial feeder.

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Biology and Ecology:

Nematodes in the Chambersiellidae are frequently reported in assocaiation with bark beetles.  The relationships are probably phoretic in that the nematodes are transported from tree to tree or to insect galleries by the beetles.

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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. 1984. Klasse Nematoda. (Ordnungen Monhysterida, Desmoscolecida, Araeolaimida, Chromadorida, Rhabditida). Akademie Verlag, Berlin, 509 pp.

Massey, C.L. 1963. Santafea new genus (Rhabditoidea, Chambersiellidae) and a change in the systematic position of Macrolaimus Maupas, 1900. Proc. Helminthol. Soc. Wash. 30:26-28.

Sanwal, K. C. 1971. Geraldius n. gen., Macrolaiminae n. subfam., with a revision of the subfamilies and genera of Chambersiellidae (Nematoda). Canadian J. Zoology 49:965-967.

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Copyright © 1999 by Howard Ferris.
Revised: February 21, 2024 .