Family Plectidae

Revised 02/12/24

              Plectidae Orley, 1880 

• Cuticle striated
• Lateral fields distinct 
• Somatic setae usually present, especiially on tail
• Cephalic setae: 4, moderatly long
• Amphid apertures unispiral, circular or slit-like
• Buccal cavity short and wide in anterior, long and narrower posteriorly
• Esophagus muscular, terminal bulb with valvular apparatus abd tongue-like extension
• Renette cell anterior to teminal bulb of esophagus with long  coiloed or twisted excretrory duct
• Tail elongate conoid, usually curved ventrally, with caudal glands and spinneret

Females:

• Didelphic-amphidelphic

Males:

• Diorchic
• Spicules curved, moderate length, with associated gubernaculum
• Tubular sclerotized supplements usually present

Three subfamilies recognized:

Anaplectinae Zell, 1993 - with somatic stae only on tails, narrow slit-like amphids, anterior part of stoma globular, males and females equally common.

Plectinae Orley, 1880 - with somatic setae over whole body, spiral or circular amphids, males rare,

Wilsonematinae Chitwood, 1951 - with swollen anterior body bearing  bilateral labial processes or cuticular outgrowths, spiral amphids, males rare.

References

 Andrassy, I. 2005. Free-living Nematodes of Hungary Volume 1. Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest

Maggenti, A.R. 1959. The Morphology, Biology and Taxonomy of the genus Plectus (Nemata: Plectidae) PhD Thesis, University of California, Berkeley

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