Microlaimus		Contents		Rev 01/01/2024
		Classification		Biology and Ecology
		Morphology and Anatomy		Life Cycle
Return to Microlaimus Menu				Ecosystem Functions and Services
		Distribution		Management
Return to Microlaimidae Menu		Feeding		References
		Go to Nemaplex Main Menu		Go to Dictionary of Terminology

 Classification:

Chromadorea

  Chromadoria

   Desmodorida

Desmodorina

             Microlaimoidea

   Microlaimidae

    Microlaimus de Man, 1880

    Type species of the genus: Microlaimus globiceps De Man, 1880

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Morphology and Anatomy:

• small nematodes, 0.3-0.8 mm
• cuticle striated and bearing fine setae.
• head swollen, enlarged at lip region.
• Third circle of 4 cephalic setae
• amphids large, usually unispiral, behind stoma.
• Stoma narrow, with small teeth, one dorsal, one ventral.
• Esophagus cylindrical with prominent terminal bulb.
• ventral excretory pore near anterior of intestine.
• Female didelphic, amphidelphic, ovaries outstretched.
• Males diorchic with small supplements
• Tail conoid.
• Three caudal glands ducted to a spinneret at tail terminus.

Ref: Kovalyev and Tshesunov, 2005

Microlaimus honestus. 5: male head; 6. Female head (bar=10um) 7: male spicules and gubernaculum (bar=50um); 8: Male tail (bar=10um). Adapted from Kovalyev and Tshesunov, 2005	Microlaimus honestus. 10: Entire female (bar = 100um) Adapted from Kovalyev and Tshesunov, 2005
Body size range for the species of this genus in the database - Click:

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Distribution:

Predominantly marine but also some brackish water and soil-inhabiting species.

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Feeding:

  Probably bacteria and perhaps sediments containing algae and protozoa. Epistrate feeders with scraping tooth in stoma  (Heip et al., 1998; Tchesunov, 2015)

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Biology and Ecology:

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Life Cycle:

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Ecosystem Functions and Services:

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Management:

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References:

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

Heip, C., Vincx, M., Vranken, G. 1985. The ecology of marine nematodes. Oceanography and marine biology. Ann Rev Lond 23:399-489

Kovalyev, S.V. & Tchesunov, A.V. 2005. Taxonomic review of microlaimids with description of five species from the White Sea (Nematoda: Chromadoria). Zoosystematica Rossica, 14: 1-16.

Revkova, T.N. 2017. Two new species of free-living nematodes genera Microlaimus de Man, 1880 and Aponema Jensen, 1978 (Nematoda: Microlaimidae) from the Black Sea. Zootaxa 4344:387-394.

Tchesunov, A.V. 2015. Free-living nematode species (Nematoda) in hydrothermal sites of the North Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Helgoland Marine Research 69:343-384.

Yeates, et al. 1993. Feeding habits of soil nematodes. J. Nematology 25:315-331.

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Copyright © 1999 by Howard Ferris.
Revised: January 01, 2024.