Mermithidae

Mermithidae
Temporal range: Aptian – Recent
Mermithid from Asian hornet
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Nematoda
Class: Enoplea
Order: Mermithida
Family: Mermithidae
Braun, 1883[1]

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.[2] 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,[3] and a specimen is known from a spider preserved in Baltic amber.[4]

At least 25 species are known to parasitize mosquito larvae, making them of considerable interest in biological control.[5][6] A species, probably Pheromermis vesparum, was recorded from the invasive Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) in France. The parasite was considered to be a member of the local fauna which had adapted to a new host. However, the authors concluded that the mermithid could not hamper the hornet invasion nor be used in biological control programs against this invasive species.[7]

  1. ^ Braun, M. (1883). Die tierischen Parasiten des Menschen nebst einer Anleitung zur praktischen Beschäftigung mit der Helminthologie für Studierende and Ärzte.
  2. ^ Lankester, E. Ray (1877). "Notes on the Embryology and Classification of Animal Kingdom". Quarterly Journal of Microscopical Science. 17: 449. Retrieved 2017-03-18.
  3. ^ Poinar, G. O. (1985). "Mermithid (Nematoda) parasites of spiders and harvestmen" (PDF). Journal of Arachnology. 13 (1): 121–128.
  4. ^ Poinar, George (2005). "Heydenius araneus n.sp. (Nematoda: Mermithidae), a parasite of a fossil spider, with an examination of helminths from extant spiders (Arachnida: Araneae)". Invertebrate Biology. 119 (4): 388–93. doi:10.1111/j.1744-7410.2000.tb00108.x. JSTOR 3227190.
  5. ^ Platzer, E. G. (1981). "Biological control of mosquitoes with mermithids". Journal of Nematology. 13 (3): 257–62. PMC 2618106. PMID 19300759.
  6. ^ Martinet, Jean-Philippe; Aatif, Issam; Depaquit, Jérôme (2023). "Three Aedes species infested by mermithids in France". Parasite. 30: 12. doi:10.1051/parasite/2023013. PMC 10081132. PMID 37026735. Open access icon
  7. ^ Villemant, Claire; Zuccon, Dario; Rome, Quentin; Muller, Franck; Poinar, George O.; Justine, Jean-Lou (2015). "Can parasites halt the invader? Mermithid nematodes parasitizing the yellow-legged Asian hornet in France". PeerJ. 3: e947. doi:10.7717/peerj.947. PMC 4451032. PMID 26038716.