''Moravecnema'' is a

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 ...

of parasitic

nematodes 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 (he ...

, belonging to the family

Cystidicolidae Cystidicolidae is a family (biology), family of spirurian nematodes. It was described by Constantin Scriabine, Skrjabin in 1946. All members of the family are fish parasites, parasites of fish. Systematics According to the World Register of ...

Species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

of ''Moravecnema'' are

parasitic Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The ent ...

as adults in the gastrointestinal tract of

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

. According to the

World Register of Marine Species The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...

, the genus currently (2019) includes a single species, ''Moravecnema segonzaci'',Bezerra, T.N.; Decraemer, W.; Eisendle-Flöckner, U.; Hodda, M.; Holovachov, O.; Leduc, D.; Miljutin, D.; Mokievsky, V.; Peña Santiago, R.; Sharma, J.; Smol, N.; Tchesunov, A.; Venekey, V.; Zeng, Z.; Vanreusel, A. (2019). Nemys: World Database of Nematodes. MoravecnemaJustine, Cassone & Petter, 2002. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=390864 on 2019-01-05 which is a parasite in a deep-sea fish.

Description

The genus ''Moravecnema'' is characterised by a dorsoventrally elongated oral opening, rudimentary pseudolabia, and four pairs of precloacal and six pairs of postcloacal caudal papillae in the male.

Etymology

The name of the genus ''Moravecnema'' was created in the honour of Czech parasitologist

František Moravec František Moravec CBE (23 July 1895 – 26 July 1966) was the chief Czechoslovak military intelligence officer before and during World War II. He moved to the United States after the war. Biography In 1915, Moravec was drafted into Austro-Hun ...

, "in recognition to his outstanding work on systematics of fish nematodes". The gender is neuter. The specific epithet ''segonzaci'' refers to Michel Segonzac, from

Ifremer The or Ifremer is an oceanographic institution in Brest, France. A state-run and funded scientific organization, it is France’s national integrated marine science research institute. Scope of works Ifremer focuses its research activities in ...

, France, who collected the specimens.

Hosts and localities

''Moravecnema segonzaci'' Justine, Cassone & Petter, 2002 is a parasite of the intestine of the eelpout '' Pachycara thermophilum'' (

Zoarcidae The eelpouts are the ray-finned fish family (biology), family Zoarcidae. As the common name suggests, they are somewhat eel-like in appearance. All of the 300 species are ocean, marine and mostly bottom-dwelling, some at great depths. Eelpouts a ...

) from the

hydrothermal Hydrothermal circulation in its most general sense is the circulation of hot water (Ancient Greek ὕδωρ, ''water'',Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon. revised and augmented throughout by Sir Henry Stuart Jones. with th ...

sites Logatchev and Snake Pit-Moose of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, at depths of 3,000-3,510 m. The fish were caught by slurp gun by the submarine

DSV Alvin ''Alvin'' (DSV-2) is a crewed deep-ocean research submersible owned by the United States Navy and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) of Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The original vehicle was built by General Mills' Electr ...

. The fish is a

deep sea The deep sea is broadly defined as the ocean depth where light begins to fade, at an approximate depth of or the point of transition from continental shelves to continental slopes. Conditions within the deep sea are a combination of low tempe ...

fish and this

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 ...

is one of the few species recorded from deep-sea fish.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q18583718 Cystidicolidae Rhabditida genera Parasites of fish Parasitic nematodes of fish Monotypic nematode genera