Araeolaimida

Head of Cylindrolaimus, photographed by Peter Mullin.

Belongs within: Nematoda.

The Araeolaimida is a group of free-living nematodes found in fresh water.

Characters (from Muthumbi & Vanreusel 2006): Amphids spiral or loop-shaped. Cuticle striated or with punctations. Stoma small or long, tubular, often without teeth.

<==Araeolaimida [Axonolaimoidea]
    |  i. s.: Araeolaimus LB02
    |--Axonolaimus L02 [Axonolaimidae LB02]
    |--Comesomatidae LB02
    |--Coninckiidae LB02
    |--Cylindrolaimus de Man 1880 [Cylindrolaimidae] E86
    |    `--C. baradlanus Andrassy 1959 E86
    `--Diplopeltidae LB02
         |--Pararaeolaimus Timm 1961 L86
         `--Metaraeolaimoides de Coninck 1936 L86
              `--M. oxystoma L86

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[E86] Eder, R. 1986. Nematoda from continental subterranean aquatic habitats. In Stygofauna Mundi: A Faunistic, Distributional, and Ecological Synthesis of the World Fauna inhabiting Subterranean Waters (including the Marine Interstitial) (L. Botosaneanu, ed.) pp. 125-132. E. J. Brill / Dr. W. Backhuys: Leiden.

[L02] Lee, D. L. 2002. Cuticle, moulting and exsheathment. In The Biology of Nematodes (D. L. Lee, ed.) pp. 171-209. Taylor & Francis: Florence (Kentucky).

[LB02] Ley, P. de, & M. Blaxter. 2002. Systematic position and phylogeny. In The Biology of Nematodes (D. L. Lee, ed.) pp. 1-30. Taylor & Francis: Florence (Kentucky).

[L86] Lorenzen, S. 1986. Nematoda: Interstitial nematodes from marine brackish and hypersaline environments. In Stygofauna Mundi: A Faunistic, Distributional, and Ecological Synthesis of the World Fauna inhabiting Subterranean Waters (including the Marine Interstitial) (L. Botosaneanu, ed.) pp. 133-142. E. J. Brill / Dr. W. Backhuys: Leiden.

Muthumbi, A. W., & A. Vanreusel. 2006. Order Araeolaimida. In: Eyualem-Abebe, W. Traunspurger & I. Andrássy. Freshwater Nematodes: Ecology and Taxonomy pp. 604-610. CABI Publishing.