Biology:Adenophorea

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Short description: Class of roundworms
Mononchidae eating a Mononchidae

Adenophorea or Aphasmidia was a class of nematodes (roundworms). It has been by and large abandoned by modern taxonomy, because there is strong evidence for it being a motley paraphyletic group of unrelated lineages of roundworms.[1]

Characteristics supposed to distinguish Adenophorea are:

  • amphids always post-labial, shape, pore-like to elaborate
  • deirids are not seen
  • phasmids are generally absent
  • hypodermal glands present (excretory?) uninucleate
  • simple non-tubular excretory system when present
  • three caudal glands commonly opening through a spinneret at the tail tip
  • male generally has two testes
  • caudal alae are rare
  • male with supplement glands in a single ventro-median row
  • sensory papillae in cephalic region and along the body
  • generally there are five esophageal glands
  • marine, freshwater, terrestrial

As it seems, a number of these traits are plesiomorphic, and thus unsuitable to discern relationships.

Footnotes

  1. ToL (2002)

References

  • Tree of Life Web Project (ToL) (2002): Nematoda. Version of 2002-JAN-01. Retrieved 2008-NOV-02.