Phylum: Nematoda Rudolphi, 1808
Class: Chromadorea
Order: Desmodorida De Coninck, 1965
Family: Desmodoridae Filipjev, 1922
Psammonema kuriani Jacob, Anilkumar, Philip & Rayaroth, 2016
Collection: North easter Arabian Sea – off Goa, 15°25′ 459′′N, 72°52′ 855′′E, 214 m. Smith McIntyre grab.
Voucher No.: IO/SS/NEM/00023 (FORV Referral Centre, CMLRE, Kochi)
Description: Desmodorinae. Cuticle multi-layered, finely annulated. Lateral alae narrow, without interdigitation, extending from the level of the pharynx or just posterior to it as far as the cloacal or anal region. Different types of somatic setae arranged in 6–8 rows. Cephalic capsule ornamented with small vacuoles and possessing thick inner cuticle. Offset labial region with thin cuticle. No subcephalic setae but additional setae may be present. Anteriorly placed amphids. Amphideal fovea in male loop-shaped. Buccal cavity with a crown of denticles, a strong dorsal tooth and two small ventro-sublateral teeth. Pharynx with tripartite slightly prolonged end bulb. Thin cuticle of pharyngeal internal lumen. Precloacal supplements and thick pre-anal seta present (2 –4 vs. 4 –7 mm).
Biological association: None.
Remarks: No Females or juveniles found. Silty sand sediments with 3.61% organic matter content, bottom temperature 16.98C, salinity 35.30 psu, dissolved oxygen concentration 0.55 ml/l.
Distribution: Continental margin of north-eastern Arabian Sea.
Distribution map:
Identified by: Jini Jacob
Publication: Jacob J, Anilkumar P R, Philip R, Damodaran R. 2016. Psammonema kuriani (Nematoda: Desmodoroidea), a novel species from the margin of north-eastern Arabian Sea. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom; Volume 96(7), pp. 1469-1473. DOI: 10.1017/S0025315415001691.
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