Spinitectoides
Genus of worms
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Spinitectoides is a genus of parasitic nematodes, belonging to the family Cystidicolidae. Species of Spinitectoides are parasitic as adults in the gastrointestinal tract of fish.[1][2][3] According to the World Register of Marine Species, the genus currently (2019) includes a single species, Spinitectoides berlandi.[2]
| Spinitectoides | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Nematoda |
| Class: | Chromadorea |
| Order: | Rhabditida |
| Family: | Cystidicolidae |
| Genus: | Spinitectoides Petter, 1969 |
| Species: | S. berlandi |
| Binomial name | |
| Spinitectoides berlandi Petter, 1969 | |
Description
The genus Spinitectoides is known only from larvae and females; its main characteristics are "a festooned cuticular ornament on the anterior part of body and an apical structure closely similar to this of Cystidicola".[1]
Spinitectoides berlandi was described on the basis of one larva from Trisopterus luscus and three adult females from Molva molva. No males were found.[1] The description also mentions that females from Molva molva had been previously described by Berland under the name "Spinitectus sp.".[4]
Etymology
The etymology is not clearly explained in the original description[1] but it is obvious that the name of the genus refers to Spinitectus, another genus of Cystidicolidae. The specific epithet berlandi obviously refers to Bjørn Berland,[1] a Norwegian parasitologist who described similar specimens in 1961.[4]
Hosts and localities
Spinitectoides berlandi is a parasite of marine fish, including pouting, Trisopterus luscus (Gadidae) and common ling, Molva molva (Lotidae). The type-locality is the Atlantic Ocean off the French coast. [1] Other localities include off the Norwegian coast [4] and off Faroe Islands.[5]
