Enchodelus Thorne, 1939

Tom Goodey, 1963, Enchodelus Thorne, 1939, Soil and Freshwater Nematodes, a Monograph, London: Methuen & Co. Ltd, pp. 441-445 : 441-443

Enchodelus Thorne, 1939

syn. Heterodorus Altherr, 1952

Definition: Tylencholaiminae. Spear lineate with very short aperture, extensions well developed, rod-like or broadly flanged. Guiding ring usually appearing double. Posterior enlarged part of oesophagus somewhat shortened, with the conspicuous first pair of ventro-submedian nuclei placed rather far forward. Ovaries paired in all known species. Males with 7 or more supplements in the median row, generally fairly close together.

Type species: Enchodelus macrodorus (de Man, 1880) Thorne, 1939

syn. Dorylaimus macrodorus de Man, 1880

D. (Doryilium) macrodorus de Man, 1880 (Micoletzky, 1922)

D. (Dorylaimellus) macrodorus de Man, 1880 (Schneider, 1939)

Dorylaimellus macrodorus (de Man, 1880) Thorne & Sw., 1936

Female, 1.6 mm., a = 24-28; b = 4.5-5; c = 62-77; V = 42

Male, 1.5 mm., a = 28;b = 5;c = 67 (After Thome, 1939)

Body tapering each way from about its middle. Lip region narrower, 1/2 as wide as body at spear base. Cuticle with fine transverse striations and fine radial markings visible on tail. Lateral chords narrow, about twice cuticle thickness at mid-body-length. Lateral pores in 2 lines. Amphids stirrup-shaped, the openings almost the head-width. Lips amalgamated, low. Spear about 40 μ long with small aperture. Guiding ring over a head-width from anterior end, usually appearing in the double state. Spear extension cylindrical at first then with bifid, bulbous flanges in posterior half, extension about 60 μ long. Oesophagus widens suddenly just before half-length. Oesophago-intestinal cells elongatehemispherical. Pre-rectum 4-5 body-widths. Rectum 1 anal-body-width. Vulva transverse. Female tail hemispherical to conoid-rounded. Males rare, with a pre-anal pair and a row of 11 ventral supplements, all equally spaced about ⅓ anal-body-width apart. Lateral guiding pieces tapering distally.

The species described under this name in the first edition of this book is a different species.

Other species:

E. analatus (Ditlevsen, 1927) Thorne, 1939

syn. Dorylaimus (Doryllium) analatus Ditlevsen, 1927

Dorylaimellus analatus (Ditlevsen, 1927) Thorne & Swanger, 1936 E. arcuatus Thorne, 1939

E. brasiliensis Meyl, 1957

E. brevidentatus Thorne, 1939

E. conicaudatus (Ditlevsen, 1927) Thorne, 1939 syn. Dorylaimus conicaudatus Ditlevsen, 1927

Dorylaimellus conicaudatus (Ditl., 1927) Th. & Sw., 1936 E. dolichurus Loos, 1946

E. faeroensis (Ditl., 1928) Thorne, 1939

syn. Dorylaimus (Doryllium) faeroensis Ditl., 1928

Dorylaimellus faeroensis (Ditl., 1928) Th. & Sw., 1936 E. groenlandicus (Ditl., 1927) Thorne, 1939

syn. Dorylaimellus (Doryllium) groenlandicus Ditlevsen, 1927 D. groenlandicus Ditlevsen, 1927 (Thorne & Swanger, 1936) E. hedickei (Paesler, 1941) Andrássy , i960

syn. Dorylaimus (JDorylaimellus') hedickei Paesler, 1941 E. hopedorus (Thorne, 1929) Thorne, 1939

syn. Dorylaimellus hopedorus Thorne, 1929

E. laevis Thome, 1939

E. macrodoroides (Steiner, 1914) Thorne, 1939

syn. Dorylaimus macrodoroides Steiner, 1914

Dorylaimellus macrodoroides (Steiner, 1914) Th. & Sw., 1936 E. magnificus (Altherr, 1952) n. comb.

syn. Heterodorus magnificus Altherr, 1952

E. minusculus Loos, 1946

E. rhaeticus Altherr, 1952

E. striatus Thorne, 1939

E. teres Thorne, 1939

E. vestibulifer Altherr, 1952

E. vesuvianus (Cobb, 1893) Thorne, 1939

syn. Dorylaimus vesuvianus Cobb, 1893

Dorylaimellus vesuvianus (Cobb, 1893) Th. & Sw., 1936

Bionomics. Species of this genus have been found in soil about plant roots, from mosses and from stream and lake-side situations. They are widely distributed, having been reported from Europe, N. America, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Thorne (1939) considers them to feed entirely on plant material of which green cell-like remains can be recognized in the intestinal contents.