Mermithidae: Difference between revisions
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'''Mermithidae''' is a family of [[nematode]] worms that are [[endoparasite]]s in [[arthropod]]s. As early as 1877, Mermithidae was listed as one of nine subdivisions of the Nematoidea.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Lankester|first=Professor|date=1877|work=[[Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science]]|title=Subdivisions of the Nematoidea|volume=17|pages=449|publisher=[[Clarendon Press]]|accessdate=27 November 2008|url=http://books.google.com/?id=EbEVAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA449&dq=Mermithidae+date:1600-1880}}</ref> Mermithidae are confusable with the horsehair worms of the phylum [[Nematomorpha]] that have a similar life history and appearance. |
'''Mermithidae''' is a family of [[nematode]] worms that are [[endoparasite]]s in [[arthropod]]s. As early as 1877, Mermithidae was listed as one of nine subdivisions of the Nematoidea.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Lankester|first=Professor|date=1877|work=[[Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science]]|title=Subdivisions of the Nematoidea|volume=17|pages=449|publisher=[[Clarendon Press]]|accessdate=27 November 2008|url=http://books.google.com/?id=EbEVAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA449&dq=Mermithidae+date:1600-1880}}</ref> Mermithidae are confusable with the horsehair worms of the phylum [[Nematomorpha]] that have a similar life history and appearance. |
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[[Image:MermithidaeIreland.jpg|thumb|230px|left|A mermithid questing for Dermaptera]] |
[[Image:MermithidaeIreland.jpg|thumb|230px|left|A mermithid questing for Dermaptera]] |
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Mermithids are parasites, mainly of arthropods. Most are known from insects, but some are recorded from spiders, scorpions and crustaceans. A few are known to parasitize earthworms, leeches and molluscs,<ref>{{cite journal | last = Poinar | first = G.O. | year= 1985 | title = Mermithid (Nematoda) parasites of spiders and harvestmen | journal = Journal of Arachnology | volume = 13 | number = 1 | pages = 121–128 | url = http://americanarachnology.org/JoA_free/JoA_v13_n1/JoA_v13_p121.pdf }}</ref> and a specimen is known from a spider preserved in forty-million-year-old Baltic amber.<ref>Poinar, Jr. G (2000) "''Heydenius araneus n.sp.'' (Nematoda: Mermithidae), a parasite of a fossil spider, with an examination of helminths from extant spiders (Arachnida: Araneae).' ''Invertebrate Biology'' '''119'''.4: 388–393</ref> At least 25 species are known to parasitize mosquito larvae, making them of considerable interest in [[biological control]].<ref>Platzer, E.G. (1981) "Biological control of mosquitoes with mermithids." ''Journal of Nematology'' '''13''':257–262.</ref> |
Mermithids are parasites, mainly of [[arthropods]]. Most are known from insects, but some are recorded from spiders, scorpions and crustaceans. A few are known to parasitize earthworms, leeches and molluscs,<ref>{{cite journal | last = Poinar | first = G.O. | year= 1985 | title = Mermithid (Nematoda) parasites of spiders and harvestmen | journal = Journal of Arachnology | volume = 13 | number = 1 | pages = 121–128 | url = http://americanarachnology.org/JoA_free/JoA_v13_n1/JoA_v13_p121.pdf }}</ref> and a specimen is known from a spider preserved in forty-million-year-old Baltic amber.<ref>Poinar, Jr. G (2000) "''Heydenius araneus n.sp.'' (Nematoda: Mermithidae), a parasite of a fossil spider, with an examination of helminths from extant spiders (Arachnida: Araneae).' ''Invertebrate Biology'' '''119'''.4: 388–393</ref> <br /> |
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At least 25 species are known to parasitize mosquito larvae, making them of considerable interest in [[biological control]].<ref>Platzer, E.G. (1981) "Biological control of mosquitoes with mermithids." ''Journal of Nematology'' '''13''':257–262.</ref> |
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A species, probably ''[[Pheromermis vesparum]]'', was recorded from the invasive [[Vespa velutina|Asian hornet (''Vespa velutina'')]] in France. The parasite was considered to be a member of the local fauna which had adapted to a new [[host (biology)|host]]. However, the authors concluded that the mermithid could not hamper the hornet invasion nor be used in biological control programs against this [[invasive species]].<ref name="Villemant2015">{{cite journal|last1=Villemant|first1=Claire|last2=Zuccon|first2=Dario|last3=Rome|first3=Quentin|last4=Muller|first4=Franck|last5=Poinar Jr|first5=George O.|last6=Justine|first6=Jean-Lou|title=Can parasites halt the invader? Mermithid nematodes parasitizing the yellow-legged Asian hornet in France|journal=PeerJ|volume=3|year=2015|pages=e947|issn=2167-8359|doi=10.7717/peerj.947}} {{open access}}</ref> |
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==Life history== |
==Life history== |
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Revision as of 16:58, 22 May 2015
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| Mermis nigrescens on a katydid | |
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| Family: | Mermithidae Braun, 1883[1]
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Mermithidae is a family of nematode worms that are endoparasites in arthropods. As early as 1877, Mermithidae was listed as one of nine subdivisions of the Nematoidea.[2] Mermithidae are confusable with the horsehair worms of the phylum Nematomorpha that have a similar life history and appearance.
Mermithids are parasites, mainly of arthropods. Most are known from insects, but some are recorded from spiders, scorpions and crustaceans. A few are known to parasitize earthworms, leeches and molluscs,[3] and a specimen is known from a spider preserved in forty-million-year-old Baltic amber.[4]
At least 25 species are known to parasitize mosquito larvae, making them of considerable interest in biological control.[5]
A species, probably Pheromermis vesparum, was recorded from the invasive Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) in France. The parasite was considered to be a member of the local fauna which had adapted to a new host. However, the authors concluded that the mermithid could not hamper the hornet invasion nor be used in biological control programs against this invasive species.[6]
Life history
Mermithids are wire-like and have a smooth cuticle with layers of spiral fibres. The digestive tract is similar to that of free-living nematodes only in the young larvae prior to their parasitic life; in the parasitic stages the oesophagus is disconnected from the mid-intestine, and females lack an anus. The female genital opening is at the midbody, while the male opening is at the tip and visible as one or two spicules. The eggs are laid either in water or on land, and the newly hatched larvae are free-living, as are the adults that emerge from the hosts to lay eggs.[7]
The taxonomy of the group has been confused due to poor specimen collection as well as very limited morphological characteristics, and most are discovered by entomologists rather than nematologists. Even the best-studied species, Romanomermis culicivorax, has an unclear taxonomic status.[8]
References
- ^ Braun, M. (1883) . Die tierischen Parasiten des Menschen nebst einer Anleitung zur praktischen Beschäftigung mit der Helminthologie fur Studierende and Ärzte.
- ^ Lankester, Professor (1877). "Subdivisions of the Nematoidea". Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science. 17. Clarendon Press: 449. Retrieved 27 November 2008.
- ^ Poinar, G.O. (1985). "Mermithid (Nematoda) parasites of spiders and harvestmen" (PDF). Journal of Arachnology. 13 (1): 121–128.
- ^ Poinar, Jr. G (2000) "Heydenius araneus n.sp. (Nematoda: Mermithidae), a parasite of a fossil spider, with an examination of helminths from extant spiders (Arachnida: Araneae).' Invertebrate Biology 119.4: 388–393
- ^ Platzer, E.G. (1981) "Biological control of mosquitoes with mermithids." Journal of Nematology 13:257–262.
- ^ Villemant, Claire; Zuccon, Dario; Rome, Quentin; Muller, Franck; Poinar Jr, George O.; Justine, Jean-Lou (2015). "Can parasites halt the invader? Mermithid nematodes parasitizing the yellow-legged Asian hornet in France". PeerJ. 3: e947. doi:10.7717/peerj.947. ISSN 2167-8359.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
- ^ Rubzov, 1. A. (1972). "Aquatic Mermithidae of the Fauna of the USSR", Vol. 1. (Zoological Institute, Academy of Science USSR).
- ^ Petersen, J.J. (1985) "Nematodes as biological control agents: Part 1. Mermithidae", pp 307–344. In: Baker, J. R. & Muller, R. (eds). Advances in Parasitology. Academic Press, London.
External links
- W.R. Nickle, 1972 A Contribution to our Knowledge of the Mermithidae (Nematoda) Journal of Nematology.4(2):113-46.
- Biological control potential
- http://flnem.ifas.ufl.edu/HISTORY/entomophilic_history.htm
- http://www.uel.ac.uk/mosquito/issue10/mermithids.htm
- Mermis nigrescens on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site