Abstract
Freshwater hairworms (Gordiaceae) and marine hairworms (Nectonematoidea) comprise the phylum Nematomorpha. Only the freshwater forms are discussed here. While freshwater hairworms develop as parasites of both aquatic and terrestrial arthropods, they all enter fresh water to mate, oviposit and produce infective stages (preparasitic larvae). The global species diversity of freshwater hairworms based on published descriptions is approximately 326 species and a conservative estimate for the global species diversity in this group would be around 2,000 species.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Bresciani, J., 1991. Nematomorpha. In Harrison, F. W. & E. E. Ruppert (eds), Microscopic Anatomy of Invertebrates. Wiley-Liss, New York: 197–218.
Camerano, L., 1915. Revisione dei Gordii. Memorie della Reale Academia delle Scienze di Torino. Serie Seconda 66: 1–66.
Hanelt, B., F. Thomas & A. Schmidt-Rhaesa, 2005. Biology of the phylum Nematomorpha. Advances in Parasitology 59: 243–305.
Poinar, Jr., G. O., 2001. Nematoda and Nematomorpha. In Thorp, J. H. & A. P. Covich (eds), Ecology and Classification of North American Freshwater Invertebrates, 2nd ed. Academic Press, San Diego: 255–295.
Poinar, Jr., G. O., 2004. Nematomorpha. In Yule, C. M. & Y. H. Sen (eds), Freshwater Invertebrates of the Malaysian Region. Academy of Sciences Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur: 157–161.
Poinar, Jr., G. O., 2008. Phylum Nematomorpha. In Gordon, D. P. (ed.), The New Zealand Inventory of Biodiversity, Vol. 2. Kingdom Animalia. Chaetognatha, Ecdysozoa, and Ichnofossils. Canterbury University Press, Christchurch (in press).
Poinar, Jr., G. O. & A. M. Brockerhoff, 2001. Nectonema zealandica n. sp. (Nematomorpha: Nectonematoidea) parasitizing the purple rock crab Hemigrapsus edwardsi (Brachura: Decapoda) in New Zealand, with notes on the prevalence of infection and host defense reactions. Systematic Parasitology 50: 149–157.
Poinar, Jr., G. O., & C. M. Chandler, 2004. Synopsis and identification of North American hairworms (Gordioidea: Nematomorpha). Journal of the Tennessee Academy of Science 79: 1–7.
Poinar, Jr., G. O., J. Rykken & J. Labonte, 2004. Parachordodes tegonotus sp. n., (Gordioidea: Nematomorpha), a hairworm parasite of ground beetles (Carabidae: Coleoptera) with a summary of gordiid parasites from Carabidae. Systematic Parasitology 58: 139–148.
Poinar, Jr., G. O. & R. Buckley, 2006. Nematode (Nematoda: Mermithidae) and hairworm (Nematomorpha: Chordodidae) parasites in Early Cretaceous amber. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 93: 36–41.
Schmidt-Rhaesa, A., 1997. Nematomorpha. In Schwoerbel, J., & P. Zwick (eds), Süsswasserfauna von Mitteleuropa, Vol. 4(4). Gustav Fisher Verlag, Stuttgart: 1–128.
Schmidt-Rhaesa, A., 1998. Phylogenetic relationships of the Nematomorpha a discussion of current hypotheses. Zoologischer Anzeiger 236: 203–216.
Schmidt-Rhaesa, A., 2002. Australian species of Chordodes (Nematomorpha) with a description of two new species, remarks on the genus and its life history. Journal of Natural History 36: 1569–1588.
Schmidt-Rhaesa, A., P.-R. Chung & W.-M. Sohn, 2003. Parachordodes megareolatus, a new species of horsehair worm (Nematomorpha: gordioida) from Korea. The Korean journal of Systematic Zoology 19: 161–166.
Schmidt-Rhaesa, A., 2003. Gordionus longistriatus, a new species of Nematomorpha from Hawaii. Records of the Hawaii Biological Survey for 2003. Bishop Museum Occasional Paper 78: 53–55.
Schmidt-Rhaesa, A., 2004a. Japanese horsehair worms (Nematomorpha) from the Lake Biwa Museum. Species Diversity 9: 97–107.
Schmidt-Rhaesa, A., 2004b. Filling the Gondwana gaps: new species and new reports of Beatogordius Heinze, 1934 (Nematomorpha) from Australia and Madagascar. Systematic Parasitology 57: 173–181.
Schmidt-Rhaesa, A. & L. Menzel, 2005. Central American and Caribbean species of horsehair worms (Nematomorpha), with the description of three new species. Journal of Natural History 39: 515–529.
Sciacchitano, I., 1958. Gordioidea del Congo Belga. Annales du Musee Royal du Congo Belge Sciences Zoologiques 67: 7–110.
Smith, D. G., 2001. Pennak’s Freshwater Invertebrates of the United States, 4th ed. Porifera to Crustacea. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 638 pp.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2007 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Poinar, G. (2007). Global diversity of hairworms (Nematomorpha: Gordiaceae) in freshwater. In: Balian, E.V., Lévêque, C., Segers, H., Martens, K. (eds) Freshwater Animal Diversity Assessment. Developments in Hydrobiology, vol 198. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8259-7_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-8259-7_9
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-8258-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-8259-7
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)