''Mesorhabditis'' is a genus of
nematodes.
Species in the genus ''Mesorhabditis'' exhibit an unusual form of
parthenogenesis
Parthenogenesis (; from the Greek grc, παρθένος, translit=parthénos, lit=virgin, label=none + grc, γένεσις, translit=génesis, lit=creation, label=none) is a natural form of asexual reproduction in which growth and developmen ...
, in which sperm-producing males copulate with females, but the sperm do not fuse with the ovum. Contact with the sperm is essential for the ovum to begin dividing, but because there is no fusion of the cells, the male contributes no genetic material to the offspring, which are essentially clones of the female.
References
* Problems in New Zealand mushroom production associated with bacterial feeding nematodes (Mesorhabditis sp.). FR Sanderson, JW Marshall, GE Ovenden, HM Stengs - … , 1981/edited by NG Nair, AD …, 1981
* Systematik, Phylogenie und Okologie der holzbewohnenden Nematoden Gruppe Rhabditis (Mesorhabditis) und das Problem" geschlechtsbezogener" … W Sudhaus, 1978
External links
Rhabditidae
Rhabditida genera
{{Chromadorea-stub