Oncholaimid Nematodes are free-living (as oposed to parasitic) Nematodes found in marine, brackish and freshwater aquatic environments around the world. Members of the genus Oncholaimus are sediment dwelling Nematodes, distinguished by a large buccal cavity with three teeth and a short tail.
In a paper published in the Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology on 25 October 2017, Gao Qun and Huang Yong of the College of Life Sciences at Liaocheng University, describe a new species of Oncholaimus from intertidal sediments on Dongshan Island in Fujian Province, China.
The new species is named Oncholaimus zhangi, in honour of Zhang Zhinan of the College of Marine Life Science at the Ocean University of China, in recognition of his work on Nematodes. The species is described from four male and three female specimens collected from sandy soils at deths of up to 8 cm. The male measures 3718–3934 μm in length, while the females were 3 228–3 783 μm; the females have only a single ovary while the males have paired gonads.
Oncholaimus zhangi, (a) lateral view of male anterior end; (b) lateral view of female body; (c) lateral view of the male tail end; (d) lateral view of the male anterior end showing amphidial fovea; (e) lateral view of the female anterior end; (f) lateral view of spicule. Gao & Huang (2017).
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