First record of Gordius sp. (Nematomorpha: Gordioidea) from Balıkesir Province, Türkiye

Abstract

The nematode phylum Nematomorpha contains organisms which are also known as horsehair worms or Gordian worms. We report here a male specimen of Gordian worm from a horse farm in Balıkesir province, Turkey. The body of the specimen was brown in color and the length was about 38 cm. After fixed in ethyl alcohol (80%) scanning electron microscopic (SEM) observations were carried out. Based on macroscopic and SEM findings the specimen was identified as Gordius sp. As merely little data is available on these organisms in Turkey, our finding will contribute to the existing knowledge in terms of the local diversity of this taxon.