Class: Nematoda

Nematodes (or round worms)

 Shape or Morphology
 non-segmented helminthes, cylindrical rather than
flattened; hence the common name roundworm.
 male being smaller than the female,
 Digestive tract
 possess complete digestive tract with oral and anal
openings, no stomach, the esophagus connecting directly
to the intestine that forms the main length of the gut.
 the oral cavity opens into a muscular sucking
esophagus
 The oesophagus differs in shape and size in different
nematodes. Oesophagus may be muscular or cellular:
 a-Muscular oesophagus with triradiate lumen may be:
 Simple club shaped oesophagus: e.g. Ascaris and
hookworms.
 Double bulbed oesophagus: e.g. Enterobius.
 Rhabditiform (expanded posteriorly into a bulb that
contains a valve mechanism, shaped like a club
connecting through a narrow neck (isthmus) to a
bulbous posterior part (corpus) oesophagus: e.g. free
living Strongyloides.
 Cylindrical oesophagus: e.g. Filaria worms.

 b-Cellular oesophagus is formed of one layer of cells

with a capillary lumen. e.g. Trichocephalus and
Trichinella.
 Nematodes are usually bisexual,
 1-According to oviposition, there are 3 types of female nematodes:
 a-Oviparous female: laying eggs containing either immature embryo e.g.
Ascaris and Ancylostoma or larvae e.g. Enterobius.
 b-Ovoviviparous female: laying eggs which contain fully formed larvae that
hatch immediately in the intestine e.g. Strongyloides
 c- Viviparous female : laying larvae e.g. Trichinella
 The developmental process in nematodes involves egg, larval, and
adult stages.
 Each of four larval stages is followed by a molt, the larvae are
called second-stage larvae after the first molt, and so on.
 The nematode formed at the fifth stage (fourth molt) is the adult.
 Fertilized female lays eggs which hatch giving 4 larval stages.
 1st and 2nd larval stages are called rhabditiform larvae while 3rd
and 4th larval stages are called filariform larvae.