Hairworms found in Scottish agricultural land, with descriptions of two new species of Gordionus Muller (Nematomorpha : Gordiidae)

Three species of Nematomorpha were found in a survey of the ground beetles of Scottish agricultural land, Gordionus violaceus (Baird) and two undescri bed new species, G. linourgos sp. nov. and G. diligens sp. nov. The morphol ogy of all three species is studied with the aid of SEM, and the characteri stics of the cuticle and the male terminal lobes described in derail. All s pecies were found to be parasitic in ground beetles of the family Carabidae , in nine different species (Nebria brevicollis (Fabricius), Halpalus latus (Linnaeus), four species of Pterostichus, and three species of Calathus). Gordionus violaceus is also reported to be a parasite of the spider Arctosa alpigena (Lycosidae). Up to four specimens were found in the same host, ty pically one adult and several juvenile forms. Parasitized hosts had severe alterations of their reproductive, digestive and secretory systems. The thr ee species of Gordionus were mostly found in grasslands and coniferous fore st, most abundantly in June and July.