''Caenorhabditis angaria'' is a small

nematode The nematodes ( or ; ; ), roundworms or eelworms constitute the phylum Nematoda. Species in the phylum inhabit a broad range of environments. Most species are free-living, feeding on microorganisms, but many are parasitic. Parasitic worms (h ...

, in the same genus as the model organism ''

Caenorhabditis elegans ''Caenorhabditis elegans'' () is a free-living transparent nematode about 1 mm in length that lives in temperate soil environments. It is the type species of its genus. The name is a Hybrid word, blend of the Greek ''caeno-'' (recent), ''r ...

''. The name is from the Latin (''angarius'' "mounted courier") after the tendency to ride weevils. Prior to 2011, the species was referred to as ''C. sp. 2'', ''C. sp. 3'', and ''C. sp. PS1010''. Its genome was sequenced at the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech) is a private research university in Pasadena, California, United States. The university is responsible for many modern scientific advancements and is among a small group of institutes ...

in 2010. This species is

gonochoristic In biology, gonochorism is a sexual system where there are two sexes and each individual organism is either male or female. The term gonochorism is usually applied in animal species, the vast majority of which are gonochoric. Gonochorism contras ...

. It has distinct morphology and behavior compared to ''C. elegans''; notably, ''C. angaria'' males exhibit a spiral mating behavior. Its divergence from ''C. elegans'' is similar to the distance between humans and fish. ''C. castelli'' is its closest relative, and the two species can produce F1 hybrids. ''C. angaria'' was isolated in Trinidad and Florida, found in association with palm and sugarcane weevils, ''

Rhynchophorus palmarum The South American palm weevil, ''Rhynchophorus palmarum'', is a species of snout beetle. The adults are relatively large black beetles of approximately one and a half inch in length, and the larvae may grow to two inches in length. Biology an ...

'' and '' Metamasius hemipterus''. Dauer larvae wave and are transported by adult weevils. The association is probably phoretic, although ''C. angaria'' can develop on dead weevils. This species groups with '' C. castelli'' in the 'Drosophilae' supergroup in phylogenetic studies.

References

Nematodes described in 2011 angaria {{Rhabditida-stub