Ethmolaimidae Filipjev & Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1941

Nara, Bezerra Tania, Ellen, Pape, Freija, Hauquier, Ann, Vanreusel & Jeroen, Ingels, 2013, New genus and two new species of the family Ethmolaimidae (Nematoda: Chromadorida), found in two different cold-seep environments, Zootaxa 3692 (1), pp. 7-27 : 11

Family Ethmolaimidae Filipjev & Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1941

Diagnosis. Chromadoroidea. Characterized by an annulated cuticle bearing transverse rows of fine punctation, sometimes with lateral differentiation of fewer rows and rows of pores. Cephalic sensilla arranged in three circles of 6+6+4. Sensilla of the anterior circlet papilliform and both outer circlets setiform. Amphideal fovea uni- or multi-ventrally spiral. Buccal cavity with three equal teeth. Pharynx ending with a posterior muscular bulb of which the degree of development is correlated with the size of the dorsal tooth. Males have paired spicules of equal size and a slightly cuticularized rod-like gubernaculum. Conspicuous precloacal cup-shaped supplements with an external articulated flange are present as well as a ventral precloacal spine. Ovaries are paired, opposed, reflexed and of equal size; testes paired, laying on different sides of the intestine, the posterior one being smaller in most species. In most genera, the tail is conical, usually with a rounded tip (Platt, 1982; Jensen, 1994; Decraemer & Smol, 2006).