Morphological and taxonomic study of the genus Tricoma Cobb (Nematoda : Desmoscolecida), with the description of new species from the Great Barrier Reef of Australia

Abstract

A detailed morphological study was made of the genus Tricoma, in particular of the anterior end and the internal structures. Among the many species found in samples from the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, 12 new species and one new subspecies are described: T. allgeni, T. aculeata, T. brevispicula, T. dimorpha, T. hoplostoma, T. hopperi australiensis, T. goldeni, T. longispicula, T pachycephala, T. platapophysa, T. riemanni, T. rostralis and T. timmi. The following known species are redescribed: T. bvevirostris (Southern, 1914) Steiner, 1916; T. fisheri Timm, 1970; T. septuaginta Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1942; T. hopperi hopperi Timm, 1970, and T. similis Cobb, 1912.