Family Monhysteridae

                                 Revised 01/19/26

Classification:

Phylum Nematoda

  Class Chromadorea

    Subclass Chromadoria

Order Monhysterida

Suborder Monhysterina

Superfamily Monhysteroidea

Monhysteridae De Man, 1876

The family Monhysteridae has a confused taxonomic history with a large list of synonyms and species inquirendae. The taxonomic problem is not restricted to the old literature; inconsistencies also appeared in recent studies (Fonseca and Decraemer, 2008).           

General Characteristics of the family:

• Small thin nematodes.
• Cephalic setae present, six longer and four shorter.
• Cuticle smooth or finely-annulated; may have fine somatic setae.
• Buccal cavity small, funel sheped, without teeth or with minute denticles.
• Esophagus mainly cylindrical.
• Female with 1 ovary, outstretched.
• Males rare, monorchic, without supplements.
• prominent circular amphids
• Ocelli in present in some aquatic species.
• Tail filiform with a prominent spinneret and three caudal glands.
• Many species.
• Occur in terrestrial, freshwater and marine environments. At least seven genera inhabit marine sediments.

(Ref. Andrassy, 2005).

Fonseca and Decraemer (2008) recognized 17 valid genera in the family Monhysteridae, seven of which are considered free-living nematodes inhabiting marine sediments. The seven genera of marine Monhysteridae include 70 valid species.. 

Per Holovachov et al (2011), marine Monhysterida are by far the most species rich, common and widespread commensals of aquatic and semi-aquatic animals. Many are epibiotic on their commensal hosts

    Go To Dictionary of Terminology 

References

Andrassy, I. 2005.  Free-living Nematodes of Hungary, Vol. I. Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest.

Fonseca G. and Decraemer, W. 2008. State of the art of the free-living marine Monhysteridae (Nematoda). J. Marine Biol. Assoc UK. 88:1371-1390

Holovachov, O., Bostrom, S., Reid, N., Waren, A., Schander, C. 2011. Endeolophos skeneae sp. nov. (Chromadoridae) - a free-living marine nematode epibiotically associated with deep-sea gastropod Skenea profunda (Skeneidae). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 91:387-394.

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