Thelaziidae
Encyclopedia
Thelaziidae is a family
of spiruria
n nematode
s, which form the mid-sized lineage of the superfamily
Thelazioidea
. Like all nematodes, they have neither a circulatory
nor a respiratory system
.
They number 7 genera
or so, with a few dozen species
altogether. Mostly parasites bird
s, a few have also been found in other vertebrate
s..
, as are several little-known genera in the Thelaziinae; these all might not be valid. Altogether, the systematic layout of this family is liable to change and cannot be considered more than tentative.
Subfamily Oxyspirurinae Skrjabin, 1916
Subfamily Thelaziinae Skrjabin, 1915
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of spiruria
Spiruria
Subclass Spiruria comprises mostly parasitic secernentean nematodes. In an alternate classification, they are treated as suborder Spirurina, with the orders listed here being ranked as infraorders....
n nematode
Nematode
The nematodes or roundworms are the most diverse phylum of pseudocoelomates, and one of the most diverse of all animals. Nematode species are very difficult to distinguish; over 28,000 have been described, of which over 16,000 are parasitic. It has been estimated that the total number of nematode...
s, which form the mid-sized lineage of the superfamily
Taxonomic rank
In biological classification, rank is the level in a taxonomic hierarchy. Examples of taxonomic ranks are species, genus, family, and class. Each rank subsumes under it a number of less general categories...
Thelazioidea
Thelazioidea
Thelazioidea is a superfamily of spirurian nematodes in the large order Spirurida. Like all nematodes, they have neither a circulatory nor a respiratory system.Among the families placed here, only the Rhabdochonidae are notably diverse...
. Like all nematodes, they have neither a circulatory
Circulatory system
The circulatory system is an organ system that passes nutrients , gases, hormones, blood cells, etc...
nor a respiratory system
Respiratory system
The respiratory system is the anatomical system of an organism that introduces respiratory gases to the interior and performs gas exchange. In humans and other mammals, the anatomical features of the respiratory system include airways, lungs, and the respiratory muscles...
.
They number 7 genera
Genera
Genera is a commercial operating system and development environment for Lisp machines developed by Symbolics. It is essentially a fork of an earlier operating system originating on the MIT AI Lab's Lisp machines which Symbolics had used in common with LMI and Texas Instruments...
or so, with a few dozen species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
altogether. Mostly parasites bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s, a few have also been found in other vertebrate
Vertebrate
Vertebrates are animals that are members of the subphylum Vertebrata . Vertebrates are the largest group of chordates, with currently about 58,000 species described. Vertebrates include the jawless fishes, bony fishes, sharks and rays, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds...
s..
Systematics
The subfamily Oxyspirurinae is monotypicMonotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
, as are several little-known genera in the Thelaziinae; these all might not be valid. Altogether, the systematic layout of this family is liable to change and cannot be considered more than tentative.
Subfamily Oxyspirurinae Skrjabin, 1916
- Oxyspirura Dräsche in Stossich, 1897
Subfamily Thelaziinae Skrjabin, 1915
- Ceratospira Schneider, 1866
- Hempelia Vaz, 1937
- Pancreatonema McVicar & Gibson, 1975
- Pericyema Railliet, 1925
- ThelaziaThelaziaThelazia is a genus of nematode worms which parasitize the eyes and associated tissues of various bird and mammal hosts, including humans. They are often called "eyeworms," and infestation with Thelazia species is referred to as "thelaziasis"...
Bosc in Blainville, 1819 - Thylaconema Chandler, 1929