''Pristionchus maxplancki'' is a species of diplogastrid

nematode The nematodes ( or grc-gre, Νηματώδη; la, Nematoda) or roundworms constitute the phylum Nematoda (also called Nemathelminthes), with plant-Parasitism, parasitic nematodes also known as eelworms. They are a diverse animal phylum inhab ...

s (roundworms).

Description

Nematodes of ''P. maxplancki'' are small, with a body length of about 1 mm. It is associated with stag beetles ( Lucanidae), from the body of which they were isolated. The species was discovered in an oak forest in

Fukushima Prefecture Fukushima Prefecture (; ja, 福島県, Fukushima-ken, ) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,810,286 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miya ...

(Tohoku region) on the island of Honshu. Like most species of ''Pristionchus'', ''P. maxplancki'' has two forms that differ in their mouthparts: in the "stenostomatous" form, the mouth is elongated, narrow, and with one small tooth, whereas the "eurystomatous" has a mouth that is short, wide, and with two large teeth. This species is the closest known

outgroup Outgroup may refer to: * Outgroup (cladistics), an evolutionary-history concept * Outgroup (sociology), a social group {{disambig ...

to a cryptic species complex that includes the model nematode '' P. pacificus'' and two other ''Pristionchus'' species. A scientific description of ''P. maxplancki'' was first published in August 2013 by nematologists from the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan and the

Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology The Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology Tübingen was located in Tübingen, Germany; it was founded as Max Planck Institute for Virus Research in 1954 as an offshoot of the Tübingen-based Max Planck Institute for Biology. From 1984 to 2 ...

in Tübingen, Germany. The species was named after the German physicist and nobel laureate Max Planck (1858-1947). This is the first species named in his honor.

References

Rhabditida Nematodes described in 2013 {{Rhabditida-stub