''Mononchoides'' is a quite common

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

in the

phylum In biology, a phylum (; : phyla) is a level of classification, or taxonomic rank, that is below Kingdom (biology), kingdom and above Class (biology), class. Traditionally, in botany the term division (taxonomy), division has been used instead ...

of the

Nematoda 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 parasitism, parasitic. Parasitic ...

and by far the most diverse genus of the family of the ''

Diplogasteridae 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 distinc ...

''. It has been described to live in various terrestrial habitats and is often associated with

compost Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by Decomposition, decomposing plant and food waste, recycling organic materials, and man ...

, dung, mud, other decaying materials and different kinds of beetles. Some have even been described from fresh water and marine habitats. In 2011, a new species has been described by Steel ''et al.'' This species was isolated from compost during the composting process and was named ''Mononchoides composticola''.

Habitat

Composting process

''Mononchoides composticola'' became dominantly present in the studied compost heap. The composting process is typically subdivided into 3 different phases based on the temperature profile: # the thermophilic phase (45 °C - 75 °C) # the cooling phase (45 °C environmental temperature) # the maturation phase (≈ environmental temperature) It is during the last two phases that ''Mononchoides composticola'' would become dominant in the compost heap.

Feeding habits

''Mononchoides composticola'' has several preferences to what it consumes for food. It has the ability to actively move towards bacterial food resources such as ''

Achromobacter ''Achromobacter'' is a genus of bacteria, included in the family Alcaligenaceae in the order Burkholderiales. The cells are Gram-negative straight rods and are motile by using one to 20 peritrichous flagella. They are strictly aerobic and are fo ...

'' species. It is also able to prey on other (compost)nematodes and demonstrates a higher predation rate on the relatively small and slow moving nematodes in the genus '' Rhabditella'' than on the larger though more motile '' Poikilolaimus'' species. This means that ''M. composticola'' has a dual feeding behavior and can alternate between bacterial and nematode prey.

Characteristics

Morphometric data

All the measurements are expressed in μm.

Diagnosis

''Mononchoides composticola'' is characterised by a combination of the following morphological features: * a denticulate ridge in addition to the

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage The fus ...

claw-like tooth * a small tooth-like swelling at the stegostom base * ca 26

longitudinal Longitudinal is a geometric term of location which may refer to: * Longitude ** Line of longitude, also called a meridian * Longitudinal engine, an internal combustion engine in which the crankshaft is oriented along the long axis of the vehicle, ...

ridges on the female body * a uterine sac associated with two dumb-bell-shaped pouches *

spicules Spicules are any of various small needle-like anatomical structures occurring in organisms Spicule may also refer to: *Spicule (sponge), small skeletal elements of sea sponges *Spicule (nematode), reproductive structures found in male nematodes ( ...

that are relatively small (30-38 μm) * a simple

gubernaculum The paired gubernacula (from Ancient Greek κυβερνάω = pilot, steer), also called the caudal genital ligament, are embryonic structures which begin as undifferentiated mesenchyme attaching to the caudal end of the gonads (testicles in m ...

less than half the spicule length long * the genital subventral

papillae Papilla (Latin, 'nipple') or papillae may refer to: In animals * Papilla (fish anatomy), in the mouth of fish * Papilla (worms), small bumps on the surface of certain worms * Basilar papilla, a sensory organ of lizards, amphibians and fish * De ...

(v6) consisting of three very small papillae * an especially long

filiform Filiform, thread or filament like, can refer to: * Filiform, a common term used in botany to describe a thread-like shape *Filiform, or filiform catheter, a medical device whose component parts or segments are all cylindrical and more or less un ...

tail

Phylogenetic analysis

''Mononchoides composticola'' is part of a

clade In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...

that contains '' Mononchoides striatus'', '' Tylopharynx foetida'' and '' Aduncospiculum halicti'' (grey box). The image below shows more detailed information about the phylogenetic tree of ''M. composticola''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q16985921 Rhabditida Nematodes described in 2011