ON THE ULTRASTRUCTURE OF THE CUTICLE OF TRICHODORIDAE THORNS, 1935 (NEMATODA, ENOPLIA)

The fine structure of the body cuticle was studied in Trichodorus prim itivus, I: similis, T. hooperi, I: viruliferus, Paratrichodorus pachyd ermus, and I? nanus. The ultrastructure of the cuticle was mostly simi lar to recent observations on four species from western Africa. Some i ntraspecific differences were seen in the thickness of layers 4 and 6. The ultrastructure of the body cuticle in the region of the retracted spicules in I? pachydermus is clearly different from that in T. primi tivus. This result confirms the diagnostic value of presence vs absenc e of caudal alae for differentiating the didelphic genera. (C) Orstom/ Elsevier, Paris.