
Acrobeloides Cobb, 1924
The bacteria feeding terrestrial nematode genus Acrobeloides Cobb, 1924 is distributed world-wide and can be found in dry habitats and sandy soils (rarely in fresh water). It is a species rich genus, with about 15 species present in Europe. Males are usually very rare. Females are all relatively small with an annulated cuticle, labial probolae present and hemisperoid or conoid, pointed in shape (not incised). Stoma typical cephaloboid and narrow, rhabdions sclerotized. Lateral field with two to five incisures. The pharyngeal corpus is slightly swollen, posterior bulb well developed, vulva at about 2/3 of the body length and one ovary and a post-uterine sac are present. The tail is short and the tip can be rounded to pointed. The common species A. buetschii and A. nanus have been both described from the Netherlands by Dr. J.G. de Man (under the genus name Cephalobus).
More pictures of Acrobeloides buetschlii (de Man, 1884) Thorne, 1924:
More pictures of Acrobeloides nanus (de Man, 1880) Anderson, 1968:
More pictures of Acrobeloides apiculatus Thorne, 1925:
(Click on the pictures for an enlargement, ©Wageningen University & Research, Laboratory of Nematology/Pictures: Hanny van Megen)