2025/05/05 by Ya-Zhen Zou, Jie Huang, Hai-Yang Xiang +3 · 1 voice
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Marine Biology and Ecology Research #Parasite Biology and Host Interactions #Subterranean biodiversity and taxonomy
paper · pdf · doi:10.3897/zse.101.151890
openalex publication_date 2025/05/05 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02
Gordius wulingensis sp. nov. , a newly described horsehair worm, parasitizes Tachycines (Orthoptera, Rhaphidophoridae). Free-living specimens are mainly found in karstic cave puddles. In recent years, a total of 37 creamy white horsehair worms were collected from various caves in the Wuling Mountains. Characteristic for the species is that males exhibit concentrated bristles at the tips of the inner lobes and scattered bristles along the posterior half of the caudal lobe. The inner wall of the cloacal opening displays honeycombed areoles. The body cuticle contains dense bristles in the anterior and posterior ends; the density of bristles is decreasing in the mid-body. Distinct longitudinal sharp ridges are visible on the ventral and dorsal surfaces. Adults are present in caves year-round, while the entire life cycle is completed within the caves. In the laboratory, specimens can be kept alive for more than 3 months.