Mermithidae
Mermis nigrescens
The Mermithidae are a family of nematodes ( Nematoda ). It involves very long, thin worms that parasitize insects and other invertebrates such as spiders, crustaceans, leeches, and others. The main hosts are insects and here Mermithidiae occur in representatives of at least 15 orders.
Characteristics and lifestyle
They are similar both in lifestyle and in appearance very much the strings worms ( Nematomorpha ). You have no through gut and the food is taken as the strings of worms on the body wall. After adolescence, the adult worms often leave their host and live in moist soil or in the waters where they mate up.
Mermithidae occur in all life stages from larva to imago in insects. They live in the body cavity and feed on nutrients in the blood of insects. In the hosts, the worms can grow from 0.5 to about 10 millimeters, but also animals with significantly greater length to 20 or 50 inches are not uncommon. In many insects, including mosquitoes and black flies, worms can occur in large numbers., Making them also for the biological control of interest.
Within the cancers, especially cancers such as terrestrial isopods and small crabs fresh water as Gammaridae be infested, very rarely are marine crustaceans hosts for the worms.
System
Within the family, more than 50 genera were distinguished, but they are partially described only on the basis of single finds or larval stages. The Integrated Taxonomic Information System ( ITIS) the following 20 genera are named:
- Aranimermis Poinar and Petersen, 1986
- Capitomermis Rubtsov, 1968
- Culicimermis Rubtsov and Isaeva, 1975
- Drilomermis Poinar and Petersen, 1978
- Empidomermis Poinar, 1977
- Gastromermis Micoletzky, 1923
- Heleidomermis Rubtsov, 1970
- Hydromermis Corti, 1902
- Isomermis Coman, 1953
- Lanceimermis Artyukhovsky, 1969
- Limnomermis Daday, 1911
- Mermis
- Mesomermis Daday, 1911
- Octomyomermis Johnson, 1963
- Perutilimermis Nickle, 1972
- Pheromermis Poinar, Lane, Thomas, 1967
- Pseudomermis De Man, 1903
- Romanomermis Coman, 1961
- Strelkovimermis Rubtsov, 1969
- Vetus
The eponymous species represents the genus Mermis