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Mermithidae
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Mermithidae

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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. Mermithidae are confused with the horsehair worms of the phylum Nematomorpha that have a similar life history and appearance.

Species

FAMILY

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumNematoda
  3. ClassEnoplea
  4. OrderMermithida
  5. FamilyMermithidae
Habitatmarine, freshwater
Observations recorded5,455

via GBIF

Museum specimens

Specimen records
237
Family
Mermithidae
Collections
USNM, AM, MCZ, YPM
Recorded in
United States, Antarctica, South Africa, Uruguay

~4 min read

Encyclopedic overview

6 sections
Contents
  • Life history
  • Host behavior alteration
  • Association with iridoviruses
  • Included genera
  • References
  • External links

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. Mermithidae are confused 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, and a specimen is known from a spider preserved in Baltic amber.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Mermithidae” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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