Genus Diphtherophora

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ORDER TRIPLONCHIDA

Family Diphtherophoridae

Genus Diphtherophora (Chaolaimus) (hyphal feeding)

 Genus Diphtherophora de Man, 1880
“Obese nemas with thick cuticle which frequently forms wrinkles when the body is bent.  Spear of an unusually complicated structure.  Spear guide an assembly of plates and rods.  Esophagus with an elongate-conoid basal bulb.  Body contents usually obscured by many granular bodies.” From Powers and Mullin website  http://nematode.unl.edu

"Diphtherophoridae. Body less than 1 mm. Cuticle loose. Dorsal sector of stylet short, divided and well curved; spear extension with basal swelling. Spear-guiding structure arched. Pharynx a slender tube ending with a pyriform or elongate basal bulb. Secretory-excretory pore present. Female amphidelphic; vulva transverse; vagina small. Spicules slightly arcuate. Essentially soil inhabiting." Zullini, 2006

References:

Powers T. and P. Mullin. Plant and Insect Parasitic Nematodes. University of Nebraska Nematology Website. http://nematode.unl.edu/

Zullini A.  2006.  Order Triplonchida.  In: Eyualem Abebe, Traunspurger W., and Andrassy I. (eds) Freshwater Nematodes: Ecology and Taxonomy. CABI Publishing, Cambridge, MA, pp. 295-296