Family
Haliplectidae
Revised
11/18/25
Plectina
Haliplectoidea
Haliplectidae
Chitwood, 1951
Chitwood (1951) also designated the subfamily
Haliplectinae for "marine genera in which the lip region lacks specializde
modifications and the terminal duct not sclerotized".
Type genus of the family: Haliplectus Cobb, 1913
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:
Ref: Gharahkhani et al., 2022; Holovachov, 2014
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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