A lateral (left side) anatomical diagram of an adult-stage nematode
hermaphrodite Caenorhabditis elegans (
full size) with emphasis on the digestive and reproductive systems.
C. elegans is a free-living, transparent
nematode (roundworm) which measures about 1 millimetre (0.039 in) in length. The hermaphrodite form, as seen here, is the most common, although a male form is also found. When self-inseminated, the species will lay about 300 eggs, but when the hermaphrodite is inseminated by a male, the number of progeny can exceed 1,000.
Diagram: K.D. Schroeder