Taxanomy and biology of some selected species of Rhabditida (Nematoda)

Abstract

The present work deals with the taxonomy and biology of nematodes belonging to order Rhabditida collected from Aligarh, Buland Shahar, Meerut, Delhi, Ghaziabad, Dehradun, Kolkata etc. The work done has divided into two parts. Part A deals with taxonomy while Part B with developmental biology of nematodes. For the analysis of nematodes, soil and water samples were collected and processed using Cobb s sieving and decantation and modified Baerman s funnel techniques. Fresh extractions were examined under the Olympus Stereoscopic Zoom Microscope SZX-12. Later, the nematodes were fixed, dehydrated and mounted in anhydrous glycerin on glass slides using wax method. Measurements were made with the ocular micrometer while the outline drawings and photography were done by using a drawing tube and a ProgRes (Jenoptik) C5 camera, both connected with Olympus BX-51 DIC Microscope. newlineDuring the study of nematodes the systematic treatment is given to those nematode species, which are new to science or have been rare or reported for first time from India. Therefore, present thesis includes the description of eleven new species and a known species and their related higher taxa. These nematode species discussed here under, belong to nine subfamilies viz., Protorhabditinae, Mesorhabditinae, Peloderinae, Rhabditinae, Pterygorhabditinae, Diplogastrinae, Paroigolaimellinae, Neodiplogastrinae, Teratocephalinae coming under five families viz., Rhabditidae, Pterygorhabditidae, Diplogastridae, Neodiplogastridae, Teratocephalidae, which further belongs to four superfamilies viz., Rhabditoidea, Bunonematoidea, Diplogastroidea, Teratocephaloidea of three suborders Rhabditina, Dipolgastrina and Teratocephalobina and one order Rhabditida. newlineThe systematic position of the genera and species, selected for the present study are given hereunder: Order: Rhabditida (Örley, 1880) Chitwood, 1933 Suborder: Rhabditina Chitwood, 1933 Superfamily: Rhabditoidea Örley, 1880 Family: Rhabditidae Örley, 1880 Subfamily: Protorhabditinae Dougherty, 1955