''Levipalatum'' is a genus of free-living

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 ...

s (roundworms) in the family

Diplogastridae Diplogastridae, formerly Diplogasteridae, are a family of nematodes (roundworms) known from a wide range of habitats, often in commensal or parasitic associations with insects. Description Diplogastrid nematodes are characterized by a distinct ...

, containing the single species ''Levipalatum texanum''. The species is androdioecious, consisting of self-fertile

hermaphrodites A hermaphrodite () is a sexually reproducing organism that produces both male and female gametes. Animal species in which individuals are either male or female are gonochoric, which is the opposite of hermaphroditic. The individuals of many ...

which are morphologically females, and males. It is known from the south-eastern United States and has been found to live in association with

scarab beetles The family Scarabaeidae, as currently defined, consists of over 35,000 species of beetles worldwide; they are often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The classification of this family has undergone significant change. Several groups formerly tre ...

(''

Cyclocephala ''Cyclocephala'' is a genus of scarab beetles from the subfamily Dynastinae (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae). Beetles of this genus occur from southeastern Canada to Argentina, India and the West Indies. Adults of this genus are nocturnal or crepuscu ...

'' sp.), although it has also been baited from soil. Nematodes of this species can be cultured on bacterium ''

Escherichia coli ''Escherichia coli'' ( )Wells, J. C. (2000) Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. Harlow ngland Pearson Education Ltd. is a gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus '' Escherichia'' that is commonly fo ...

'' in the laboratory, and they are presumed to also feed on microorganisms in the wild. ''Levipalatum'' is a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

genus.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q21292393, from2=Q20721253 Diplogastridae Taxa described in 2014 Monotypic nematode genera