Ransomnema		Contents		Rev 06/01/2026
		Classification		Hosts
		Morphology and Anatomy		Life Cycle
Return to Ransomnema Menu		Economic Importance		Damage
		Distribution		Management
Return to Ransomnematidae Menu		Feeding		References
		Nemaplex Home Page		Go to Dictionary of Terminology

Classification:

Chromadorea
Chromadoria

           Rhabditida 

                       Spirurina

                            Ransomnematoidea

                   Ransomnematidae

 

            Ransomnema Artigas, 1926

Type species of the genus: Ransomnema ransomi Artigas, 1926

Synonyms:

Dudekemnema Skrjabin, Schikhabalova & Lagodovskaya, 1966

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Morphology and Anatomy:

General Characteristics:

• Sexual dimorphism of buccal capsule
• Mouth opening triangular with base of triangle ventral in position.
• Esophagus reduced: corpus spindle-shaped.
• Male with ventral sucker and two dissimilar unequal spicules.
• Female with vulva near posterior third of body. Eggs large with thin flexible shell.
• Parasites of South American diplopods.

Species very similar.  Characters most useful for their separation include spicule structure and disposition of caudal papillae in males, and vulvar and caudal structure in females.

Females didelphic, amphidelphic

Ref: Adamson, 1983

Ransomnema longispiculum Female. A, reproductive tract; B, superficial apical view; C, apical view just inside mouth; D-E, sections through second part of buccal capsule: D, anterior, E, posterior; F, esophageal region, lateral view; G, posterior end, lateral view; H to J, cephalic extremity: H, lateral view; 1 and J, dorsal view, J slightly above I. Scale bars: A = 100um; B to E and H to J = 40um; F = 70um; G = 50 um Drawings from Adamson, 1983

Ransomnema longispiculum Mmale. A, reproductive tract; B C, excretory system in ventral and lateral views; D to F, caudal extremity in lateral and ventral views. Scale bars: A and E = 80um; B, C and F = 50um; D = 40um. Drawings from Adamson, 1983

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Distribution:

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Economic Importance:

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Feeding:

Food Sources and Feeding strategies for the genus Ransomnema

Parasites of the hindgut of millipedes (Diplopoda).

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Hosts:

Millipede

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Life Cycle:

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Damage:

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Management:

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References:

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Copyright  1999 by Howard Ferris.
Revised: June 01, 2026.