A numerical study of the growth and development of Trichodorus christiei
An analysis of morphometric and allometric characters was used to study the growth and development of Trichodorus christiei Allen, 1957. The magnitude, location, and time of morphometric growth was determined for 14 characters. With the exception of the stylet length, body width, and characters pertaining to the reproductive system, morphometric characters increased in size more in the second and fourth than in the third developmental time interval. An analysis of 45 pairs of characters was used to study the allometric growth of nematodes belonging to four stages of the life cycle. The reproductive system was found to be relatively stable and numerous pairs of characters exhibited significant allometric growth. Because of the lack of significant allometric growth between the pairs of characters used to form the a and c ratios, these ratios are not suitable for taxonomic purposes pertaining to this species. The lack of significant allometric growth between the stylet and esophagus lengths indicated that these characters should not be combined as neck length for use in the b ratio. Because of the variability of the esophagus as a morphometric character, the excretory pore position defined in terms of distance from the lip region is more suitable for Trichodorus spp. than the excretory pore position defined in relation to its distance from the base of the esophagus.