Family Haliplectidae

                                 Revised 01/14/26

Classification:

Phylum Nematoda

Chromadorea

    Chromadoria

        Plectida

            Plectina

Haliplectoidea

     Haliplectidae Chitwood, 1951

Type genus of the family: Haliplectus Cobb, 1913

Chitwood (1951) also designated the subfamily Haliplectinae for "marine genera in which the lip region lacks specializde modifications and the terminal duct not sclerotized".

A family of mainly free-living epistrate-feeding nematodes from marine ans saline swampy environments with some soil forms.

Recent molecular analysis does not support the classification of the Haliplectidae and further revision of this classification will be necessary (Gharahkhani et al., 2022).

Characteristics of the family:.

• Cuticle annulated, annules smooth.
• Body pores present.
• Somatic sensilla apparently absent in females, present in caudal egion of males. Without subcephalic or cervical sensilla, ocelli or deirid s
•  Inner and outer labial sensilla small, papilliform, located on the anterior surface of lips.
•  Cephalic sensilla papilliform or setiform, posetrior to labial region.
• Amphidial fovea circular (cryptospiral), posterior to labial region.
• Secretory-excretory system absent.
• Stoma opening terminal, a long and narrow, cuticularized tube, occupying one-third to one-half of the total length of the pharyngeal region.
• Pharynx guitar-shaped, with smaller anterior and larger posterior bulb, muscular, with strongly developed cuticular lining.
• Number and arrangement of pharyngeal glands unclear.
• Cardia cylindrical or conoid, partly enveloped by the intestinal tissue in its posterior part.
• Female reproductive system didelphic-amphidelphic or monodelphic-prodelphic, ovaries reflexed antidromously.
• Vulva equatorial, transverse. Vagina straight; pars refringens vaginae absent.
• Male reproductive system diorchic.
• Spicules symmetrical, strongly arcuate; gubernaculum present.
• A row of midventral precloacal papilliform sensilla.
• Supplements and postcloacal sensilla absent.
• Tail similar in both sexes, conoid or subcylindrical with rounded terminus.
• Three caudal glands present.
• Spinneret present

Genera:   

• Haliplectus Cobb, 1913
• Setoplectus Vitiello, 1971
• Geohaliplectus Siddiqi, 2012

Ref: Gharahkhani et al., 2022; Holovachov, 2014

    Go To Dictionary of Terminology 

References

Chitwood, B.G. 1951. North American marine nematodes. The Texas Journal of Science, 3:617-672.

Cobb, N.A. 1913.  New nematode genera found inhabiting fresh water and non-brackish soils. Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences, 3 (16), 432-444.

Holovachov, O. 2014. 7.16 Order Plectida Gadea, 1973. In: Schmidt-Rhaesa, A. (Ed.). Handbook of zoology. Gastrotricha, Cycloneuralia, Gnathifera. Volume 2: Nematoda. Berlin, Germany, De Gruyter, pp. 487-535.

Gharahkhani, A., Pourjam, E., Leduc, D., Pedram, M. 2022. The nematode genus Haliplectus Cobb, 1913 (Chromadorea: Haliplectidae): phylogenetic relationships, description of a new species from the Persian Gulf, southern Iran, and a tabular key to valid species. Nematology 24:639-655.

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