Aponema		Contents		Rev 08/24/2026
		Classification		Biology and Ecology
		Morphology and Anatomy		Life Cycle
Return to Aponema Menu				Ecosystem Functions and Services
		Distribution		Management
Return to Microlaimidae Menu		Feeding		References
		Go to Nemaplex Main Menu		Go to Dictionary of Terminology

 Classification:

Chromadorea

  Chromadoria

   Microlaimida

Microlaimina

             Microlaimoidea

   Microlaimidae

    Aponema Jensen, 1978

   

Note: Aponema decraemerae and A. mnazi were transferred from the genus Aponema to Microlaimus by Kovalyev and Miljutina (2009) because males of those species are diorchic, a characteristic of Microlaimus. Similarly, Microlaimus nanus was transferred to Aponema because the males of that species are monorchic.

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Morphology and Anatomy:

• small body
• amphid fovea circular
• smooth or transversely striated cuticle
• pharynx with posterior bulb that has thick cuticular lining

Males:

• Monorchic
• spicules strongly sclerotized.
• gubernaculum with dorso-caudal apophyses

Females:

Ref: Huang and Guo, 2022

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Distribution:

Free-living marine nematodes. Reported from sublittoral muddy sediments

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Feeding:

Food Sources and Feeding strategies for the genus Aponema

  Probably bacteria and perhaps sediments containing algae and protozoa.

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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:

Huang, Y. and Guo, Y. 2022. Free-living Marine Nematodes from the East China Sea. Springer, Singapore and Science Press, Beijing.

Kovalyev, S.V., Miljutina, M.A. 2009. A review of the genus Aponema Jensen, 1978 (Nematoda: Microlaimidae) with description of three new species. Zootaxa DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2007.1.3

Revkova, T.N. 2017. Two new species of free-living nematodes genera Microlaimus de Man, 1880 and Aponema Jensen, 1978 (Nematoda: Microlaimidae) from the Black Sea. Zootaxa 4344:387-394.

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Revised by Howard Ferris: August 24, 2026.