About Gordionus sp. m RMFG-2023

Nematomorpha are a phylum of parasitoid animals superficially similar to nematode worms in morphology, hence the name. Most species range in size from 50 to 100 millimetres, reaching 2 metres (79 in) in extreme cases, and 1 to 3 millimetres in diameter. Horsehair worms can be discovered in damp areas, such as watering troughs, swimming pools, streams, puddles, and cisterns. The adult worms are free-living, but the larvae are parasitic on arthropods, such as beetles, cockroaches, mantises, orthopterans, and crustaceans. About 351 freshwater species are known and a conservative estimate suggests that there may be about 2000 freshwater species worldwide. The name "Gordian" stems from the legendary Gordian knot. This relates to the fact that nematomorphs often coil themselves in tight balls that resemble knots.

Picture credit: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons (Image source) Taxonomy ID 3053472

(Text from Wikipedia.)

More information General information about this species can be found in Wikipedia

Taxonomy ID 3053472

Data source Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Metazoa Phylogenomics, Passeig Maritim de la Barceloneta

More information and statistics