A new species of Gordius (Nematomorpha, Gordiidae) from the karstic caves in the Wuling Mountains, Central China

By

Zou, Ya-Zhen
Huang, Jie
Xiang, Hai-Yang
Li, Shi
Tang, Yan
Liu, Xiao

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2025-05-05

Original Publication

Zoosystematics and evolution

Volume

101

Pages

907--918

Subjects

host , white horsehair worm , Wuling Mountains

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia Pensoft

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.101.151890

 

Abstract

Gordius wulingensis sp. nov., a newly described horsehair worm, parasitizes Tachycines (Orthoptera, Rhaphidophoridae). Free-living specimens are mainly found in karstic cave puddles. In recent years, a total of 37 creamy white horsehair worms were collected from various caves in the Wuling Mountains. Characteristic for the species is that males exhibit concentrated bristles at the tips of the inner lobes and scattered bristles along the posterior half of the caudal lobe. The inner wall of the cloacal opening displays honeycombed areoles. The body cuticle contains dense bristles in the anterior and posterior ends; the density of bristles is decreasing in the mid-body. Distinct longitudinal sharp ridges are visible on the ventral and dorsal surfaces. Adults are present in caves year-round, while the entire life cycle is completed within the caves. In the laboratory, specimens can be kept alive for more than 3 months.