Spirurida
"Dirofilaria immitis" larva, Magnification 400×
Dirofilaria immitis larva
Magnification 400×
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Nematoda
Class: Chromadorea
Order: Rhabditida
Suborder: Spirurida
Superfamilies

10, but see text

Spirurida is an order of spirurian nematodes. Like all nematodes, they have neither a circulatory nor a respiratory system.

Some Spirurida, like the genus Gongylonema, can cause disease in humans. One such disease is a skin infection with Spirurida larvae, called "creeping disease". Some species are known as eyeworms and infect the orbital cavity of animal hosts.

Systematics

The Camallanida are sometimes included herein as a suborder, and the Drilonematida are sometimes placed here as a superfamily. There are doubts about the internal systematics of the Spirurida, and some groups placed herein might belong to other spirurian or even secernentean lineages.[1]

The following superfamilies are at least provisionally placed in the Spirurida:

References

Citations

  1. ^ ToL (2002)

Sources