CYSTIDICOLIDAE Skryabin, 1946

Arai, Hisao P. & Smith, John W., 2016, Guide to the Parasites of Fishes of Canada Part V: Nematoda, Zootaxa 4185 (1), pp. 1-274 : 83

Family CYSTIDICOLIDAE Skryabin, 1946

Family diagnosis (after Moravec 2013). Large or medium sized worms. Cuticle sometimes ornamented. Mouth opening slit-like or dorso-ventrally elongated. Pseudolabia large or small, sometimes much reduced. Cephalic papillae usually reduced to four at base of pseudolabia. Anterior end of buccal cavity sometimes armed with small teeth. Oesophagus usually divided into anterior muscular and posterior glandular portions. Caudal alae present in males. Eggs oval, larvated, sometimes with special surface ornamentations. Parasites of alimentary tract and swim bladder of fishes.

Comments: Moravec (2007) pointed out that erection of several cystidicolid genera has been based on the fine details of cephalic structures that are visible only with the aid of scanning electon microscopy (SEM). The generic importance of these minute features must await examination by SEM of more cystidicolids and the availability of further comparative molecular data. However, such developments may be irrelevant to users of this part of the Guide.