Family Mermithidae

Revised 10/05/24

• A family of nematode parasites of insects.

Nematodes of the family Tetradonematidae are parasites of arthropods, mainly insects. They include species that have adult stages in the body cavity of the insect host (Nickle, 1969).

• Males, females, and larvae parasitic in species of Diptera;
• Free-living stage short, if present.
• Head rounded; mouth minute;
• Esophagus with tubular lumen
• Modified intestine extending to posterior end of body; anus absent.
• Male and female gonads double, outstretched;
• Vulva equatorial or nearly so;
• Spiculum single, without accessories ; bursa none.

Ref: Ferris and Ferris, 1966.

References

Cobb, N.A. 1919. Tetradonema plicans nov. gen. et sp., representing a new family, Tetradonematidae as now found parasitic in larvae of the midge-insect Sciara coprophila Lintner. J. Parasitol. 5:176-85.

Ferris, K.M. and Ferris, V.R. 1966. Observations on Tetradonema plicans, an Entomoparasitic Nematode, with a Key to the Genera of the Family Tetradonematidae ( Neniatoda: Trichosyringida ). Annals Ent. Soc. America 59:964-971.

Nickle WR. 1969. Corethrellnema grandispiculosum n. gen., n. sp. and Aproctonema chaprnani n. sp. (Nematoda: Tetradonematidae), Parasites of the Dipterous Insect Genera, Corethrella and Culicoides in Louisiana. J. Nematology 1:49-54.

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