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"Adenophorea" (paraphyletic?)
Secernentea
and see text Nemata Cobb, 1919
Nemates Cobb, 1919
Nematoidea Rudolphi, 1808
Nematodes Burmeister, 1837
The roundworms or nematodes (phylum Nematoda) are the most diverse phylum of pseudocoelomates, and one of the most diverse of all animals. Nematode species are very difficult to distinguish; over 80,000 have been described, of which over 15,000 are parasitic. It has been estimated that the total number of described and undescribed roundworms might be more than 500,000. Nematodes have successfully adapted to nearly every ecological niche from marine to fresh water, from the polar regions to the tropics, as well as the highest to the lowest of elevations. They are ubiquitous in freshwater, marine, and terrestrial environments, where they often outnumber other animals in both individual and species counts, and are found in locations as diverse as Antarctica and oceanic trenches. They represent, for example, 90% of all life on the seafloor of the Earth[1]. The many parasitic forms include pathogens in most plants, animals, and also in humans. Some nematodes can undergo cryptobiosis. Hundreds of Caenorhabditis elegans, featured in a research project on mission STS-107, survived the Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster.[2]
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Roundworm Subcategories
Roundworm Articles
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