Tetrameridae
{{Short description|Family of roundworms}}
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| taxon = Tetrameridae
| authority = Travassos, 1914
| synonyms = *Tetrameridea von Drasche, 1884
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| subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies and genera
| subdivision = see text
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Tetrameridae is a family of spirurian nematodes. It is the smallest of the large genera making up the bulk of the superfamily Habronematoidea. Like all nematodes, they have neither a circulatory nor a respiratory system. They are parasites, chiefly of birds and cetaceans.
This family contains the largest known nematode: Placentonema gigantissima is several meters long and has been found in the placenta of the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus).{{Cite journal|language=ru |issn=0002-3264 |volume=77 |issue=6 |pages=1123–1125 |title=Giant nematoda from the placenta of Cetacea; Placentonema gigantissima nov. gen., nov. sp. |last=Gubanov |first=N. M. |journal=Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR |date=1951-04-21 |url=http://www.mactode.com/page21/files/Placentonema_gigantissima.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215144805/http://www.mactode.com/page21/files/Placentonema_gigantissima.pdf |archive-date=December 15, 2013 }}
Systematics
The Tetrameridae number about half a dozen genera only, but some are rather speciose; the type genus Tetrameres contains a lot of species even by nematode standards. While it might be overlumped, as presently delimited about half of the more than 100 species of Tetrameridae are placed in it.
Subfamily Crassicaudinae Yorke & Maplestone, 1926
- Crassicauda Leiper & Atkinson, 1914
- Placentonema Gubanov, 1951
Subfamily Geopetitiinae Chabaud, 1951
- Geopetitia Chabaud, 1951 [Diagnostic; French, Todd, Zachary & Meehan 1992
Subfamily Tetramerinae Travassos, 1914
- Microhadjelia Jogis, 1965
- Microtetrameres Travassos, 1915 {{cite journal|last1=Quentin|first1=J. C.|last2=Seureau|first2=C.|last3=Kulo|first3=S. D.|title=Cycle biologique de Tetrameres (Microtetrameres) inermis (Linstow, 1879). Nématode Tetrameridae parasite du Tisserin Ploceus aurantius au Togo|journal=Annales de Parasitologie Humaine et Comparée|volume=61|issue=3|year=1986|pages=321–332|issn=0003-4150|doi=10.1051/parasite/1986613321|pmid=3813418|doi-access=free}} {{open access}}
- Tetrameres Creplin, 1846
References
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