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The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Teratorhabditis

Teratorhabditis (Osche, 1952) Dougherty, 1953 (ref. ID; 5941)

Suborder Rhabditina: Family Rhabditidae (ref. ID; 3547)

Family: Rhabditidae (ref. ID; 5941, 6182)

Synonym Rhabditis (Teratorhabditis) Osche, 1952 (ref. ID; 5941)

ref. ID; 3547

Bacterial feeder. (ref. ID; 3547)

ref. ID; 5941

Diagnosis (emended)

Peloderinae. Robust species with annulated cuticle marked by minute plaques, punctations or smooth. Lips uniform, low, continuous with body contour or slightly expanded, apices conoid, inclined toward oral opening. Lip margins strongly cuticularized, refractive, following contour of lips. Axils separating lips tubular at bases, extending to oral opening. Metarhabdions variable in size and sculpture, each bearing one or more small denticles or series of verrucae. Esophageal collar absent. Metacorpus well developed, expanded. Female monodelphic, ovary reflexed, vulva posterior about 90% of body length, or didelphic with ovary near midbody. Tail conoid or hemispherical spicate. Male bursa peloderan, open, bearing 9 or 10 pairs of bursal rays, 2 pairs always preanal. Spicules thin, linear, distal ends fused for 20-75% of spicule length. (ref. ID; 5941)

Type species

Teratorhabditis dentifer (Volk, 1950) Dougherty, 1953 (ref. ID; 5941)
  1. Teratorhabditis boettgeri (Meyl, 1953) Dougherty, 1953 (ref. ID; 5941)
    Syn; Rhabditis boettgeri Meyl, 1953 (ref. ID; 5941)
  2. Teratorhabditis dentifera (Volk, 1950) Dougherty, 1953 (ref. ID; 5941)
    Syn; Rhabditis dentifera Volk, 1950 (ref. ID; 5941)
  3. Teratorhabditis mariannae Farkas, 1973 (ref. ID; 5941)
  4. Teratorhabditis palmarum (ref. ID; 3547, 7080)
  5. Teratorhabditis rovinjensis Sudhaus, 1974 n. comb. (ref. ID; 5941)
    Syn; Rhabditis rovinjensis Sudhaus, 1974 (ref. ID; 5941)
  6. Teratorhabditis stiannula Anderson, 1979 (ref. ID; 5941 original paper)
  7. Teratorhabditis viviparus Gargarin, 1977 (ref. ID; 5941)

Teratorhabditis stiannula Anderson, 1979 (ref. ID; 5941 original paper)

Diagnosis

Teratorhabditis stiannula n. sp. is most similar to a bisexual species described by Osche (1952), which he identified as Teratorhabditis dentifera (Volk, 1950) Dougherty, 1953. These apparently are the only species of the genus that have a large, protuberant preanal lip containing a prominent cement gland duct and the same arrangement and termination of genital papillae on the male bursa. Although not reported, Osche (1952) illustrated punctations on a portion of the male tail and coarse annules on the anterior end of a female, suggesting a pattern similar to that of T. stiannula. Configuration of the metarhabdion surfaces and shape and degree of fusion of the male spicules are the primary differential characters. The metarhabdions of T. dentifera each have three "denticles" (Volk 1950; Osche 1952), whereas those in T. stiannula each have a row of numerous verrucae or fine crenations along the margin. The spicules of T. dentifera are uniformly linear and fused for about half their length while those in T. stiannula are fused for no more than a fifth their length and the distal, fused portion is ventrally arcuate. Differences in length of the females of T. dentifera (averaging over 1 mm) and shape of the tail (conoid vs. conoid-attenuate in T. stiannula) can be attributed to nutritional factors. Teratorhabditis stiannula is readily distinguished from T. mariannae and T. rovinjensis by the hemispherical spicate tails of their females and from T. boettgeri and T. viviparus by their didelphic females. (ref. ID; 5941)

Descriptions

  • Female: Body linear to slightly ventrally arcuate when relaxed, width near midbody 34(26-51) µm. Cuticule composed of numerous small plaques, arranged in regular rows posterior to level of metacorpus, in alternate series of smaller plaques on rest of body. Lateral field 4 µm wide, smooth, lacking plaques. Scanning micrographs of anterior body show regular pattern of cuticular pores. Lips six, each bearing two median papillae, one on outer contour and one perioral. Amphids small, oval, at base of lateral lips, generally obscure. Margins of lips cuticularized, refractive, lip axils tubular at base, extending to oral opening. Stoma 22(19-25) µm long, prostom 4-5 µm wide. Mesorhabdions weakly refractive, sometimes obscure. Metarhabdions isomorphic or anisomorphic, margins marked by row of several verrucae or fine crenations. Telorhabdions reduced to small rods, sometimes obscure. Esophageal collar absent. Esophagus 190(178-202) µm long, composed of a procorpus 64(57-71) µm long, metacorpus 21(17-24) µm long by 20(18-23) µm wide, isthmus 51(46-55) µm long and a basal bulb 29(27-33) µm long by 22(19-25) µm wide. Basal bulb in most females with at least one duct-like canal. Excretory pore 150(135-165) µm posterior to head end, ranging from level of midisthmus to middle of basal bulb. Hemizonid opposite or immediately anterior to excretory pore. Nerve ring ranging from mid-isthmus to base of isthmus. Esophagointestinal valve conoid, prominent. Intestinal cells columnar, mostly 13-24 µm long, becoming squamous about three body widths anterior to rectum. Lumen of intestine wide, a third to half of body width, lining of cells microvillous. Rectum 24-30 µm long. Female monodelphic, prodelphic, ovary reflexed posteriorly. Oogonia in three to five rows, oocytes in sigle row, beginning near flexture of ovary. One female had two unsegmented eggs in uterus. Vulval lips protuberant, usually covered by remnants of male copulatory cement in inseminated females. Vagina vera short, thick walled, 8-9 µm long, vagina uterina 14-19 µm long, uterus 23-25 µm long, often partially compartmented. Heavily muscular, spindle-shaped sphincter present at junction of uterus and gonoduct, about 21-23 µm long. Spermatheca an elongated sac often extending about one body width anterior to distal end of reflexed ovary. Sperms large, 7-9 µm in diameter, connected by cytoplasmic membranes. Anus about one body width posterior to vulva. Tail conoid attenuated, 64(57-75) µm long, ventrally concave. Phasmids within 8 µm posterior to anus. (ref. ID; 5941)
  • Male: Males similar to females in general morphological characteristics but have proportionately smaller dimensions. Reproductive system extending 388(258-480) µm anteriorly, testis single, distal third to half reflexed posteriorly. Spermagonia in tandem except for short region of multiplication, spermatocytes in double or single row. Anterior lip of cloacal opening forming a large flap recurved outward from body, containing a prominent cement gland duct. Postanal lip bearing a pair of submedian setae. Body narrowing abruptly posterior to cloacal opening, tail strongly concave ventrally, conoid, 20(13-27) µm long. Spicules 45(40-48) µm long, linear, blade uniformly thin, proximal end cephalated, distal ends fused about one-fourth of length, fused part ventrally arcuate. Gubernaculum 22(20-24) µm long, linear, distal end narrower in profile and extending ventrally along sides of spicules forming a trouch. Bursa peloderan, margins crenate. Bursal rays (genital papillae) arranged in a 2 () 4 + 1 + 3 series, numbers 3, 7, and 9 (consecutively from anteriormost to posteriormost) opening at sides of bursa, remaining seven pairs open at bursal margin. (ref. ID; 5941)

    Type locality and Host affiliation

    Collected June 10, 1975, in the Ontario Provincial Arboretum, Vineland Station, Ontario, from roots of holly (Ilex sp.) growing in soil amended with humus. (ref. ID; 5941)

    Type designations

    Holotype (female) type slide No.241. Allotype (male) type slide No.241a. Paratypes (female) type slide Nos.241b-241g, (male) type slide Nos.241h-241k. Collection No.6854. Deposited in Canadian National Collection of Nematodes. Two female and one male paratypes deposited each in United States Department of Agriculture Nematode Collection, Beltsville, Maryland, and University of California Nematode Society Collection, Davis, California. (ref. ID; 5941)

    Measurements

  • Female (Holotype): L=813 µm, a=22, b=4.3, c=14, V=89. (ref. ID; 5941)
  • Female (Paratypes): L=787(700-1008) µm, a=23(20-26), b=4.1(3.6-5.1), c=12(10-14), c'=3.6(3.1-4.1), V=88(86-91) (n=15). Eggs (2) 39x27, 42x27 µm. (ref. ID; 5941)
  • Male (Allotype): L=748 µm, a=23, b=4.5, c=30;, c'=1.2, T=64. (ref. ID; 5941)
  • Male (Paratypes): L=654(521-757) µm, a=25(23-27), b=3.9(3.3-4.4), c=34(27-48), c'=1.3(1.1-1.4), T=59(50-62) (n=8). (ref. ID; 5941)