| Chromadorea | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Anisakid larvae in the body cavity of anAtlantic herring | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Nematoda |
| Class: | Chromadorea Inglis, 1983 |
| Subclass: | Chromadoria Pearse, 1942 |
TheChromadorea are a class of the roundworm phylum,Nematoda. They contain a singlesubclass (Chromadoria) and several orders. With such a redundant arrangement, the Chromadoria are liable to be divided if the orders are found to form severalclades, or abandoned if they are found to constitute a single radiation.
Formerly, they were treated as a subclass in theparaphyletic "Adenophorea" assemblage, which has been mostly abandoned by modern authors. It is also suspected that the Chromadorea may not bemonophyletic as delimited here; at least theMonhysterida seem to be a distinct and far more ancient lineage than the rest.
Members of this class' bodies usually have annules, theiramphids elaborate and spiral, and they all have threeesophageal glands. They usually live in marine sediments, although they can live elsewhere. They have a more sophisticatedpharynx than most roundworms.
Members of this class can be identified by the presence of eightconserved signature indels (CSIs) exclusively shared by the class.[1] These molecular markers are found in essential proteins such astRNA (guanine-N(1))-methyltransferase and can serve as a reliable molecular method of distinguishing the Chromadorea from other classes within the phylum Nematoda.[1]
Provisionally, the following orders are placed here:
TheBenthimermithida are also occasionally placed here.
The Ascaridida appear to be nested within Rhabditida.[4]
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