Desmodorida

Head of Desmodora, photographed by Hanny von Megen.

Belongs within: Nematoda.

The Desmodorida are a mostly marine (but sometimes freshwater) group of free-living nematodes.

Characters (from Decraemer & Smol 2006): Body appears yellowish to brownish in glycerin preparations. Body cuticle with transverse striae or annulated, rarely smooth; ornamentation present or absent, mostly without punctation. Anterior sensorial organs arranged in three circlets: the inner labial sensilla papilliform, the six outer labial sensilla and four cephalic sensilla usually setiform, with the four cephalic setae being usually longer than the six outer labial setae. Buccal cavity often with distinct dorsal tooth and smaller ventrosublateral teeth. Pharynx mostly with terminal bulb. Males mostly monorchic, occasionally diorchic. Pre-cloacal papillae or tubules may be present.

<==Desmodorida [Desmodorina]
    |--Microlaimoidea LB02
    |    |--Ixonema Lorenzen 1971 L86 [Microlaimidae LB02]
    |    |--Aponchiidae LB02
    |    `--Monoposthia [Monoposthiidae] LB02
    |         `--M. costata L02
    `--Desmodoroidea LB02
         |  i. s.: Spirina parasitifera H02
         |--Draconema [Draconematidae] LB02
         |    `--D. cephalatum L02
         |--Epsilonematidae LB02
         |    |--Perepsilonema Lorenzen 1973 L86
         |    `--Metepsilonema L86
         `--Desmodoridae LB02
              |--Robbea caelestis Gerlach 1963 L86
              |--Squanema Gerlach 1963 L86
              |--Stilbonema L02 [Stilbonematinae L86]
              |    `--S. majum L02
              `--Desmodora L02
                   |--D. ovigera L02
                   `--D. serpentulus L02

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

Decraemer, W., & N. Smol. 2006. Orders Chromadorida, Desmodorida and Desmoscolecida. In: Eyualem-Abebe, W. Traunspurger & I. Andrássy. Freshwater Nematodes: Ecology and Taxonomy pp. 497-573. CABI Publishing.

[H02] Hope, I. A. 2002. Embryology, developmental biology and the genome. In The Biology of Nematodes (D. L. Lee, ed.) pp. 121-145. Taylor & Francis: Florence (Kentucky).

[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.