FAMOUS NEMATOLOGISTS
Bastian (1837-1915, from England ) "Monograph of the
- Aldrovandus found dead grasshoppers with worms emerging
from their bodies (in De Animalibus Insectis 1623). He was the
one who first used the word Vermes.
- Lister (1672) described similar worms from a plant in his
garden and compared his findings to that of Aldrovandus.
- Reaumur (1742) described a worm that was undoubtedly
Sphaerularia bombi Dufour.
- Gould (1747) graphically described the emergence of worms,
probably mermithids, from ants.
- Carl von Linnaeus (1707-1778), in his Systema Naturae,
listed eight genera in the Vermes Intestini (1758). Two of these
were truly parasitic worms, and the name of the third, Gordius,
is associated with Linnaeus.
- A Lutheran pastor, J.A.E. Goeze (1731-1793), was the first
to study nematodes seriously under the microscope and
described the vinegar eelworm (1782). He began to distinguish
between the various kinds of worms. He also described the
emergence of mermithids from soil following a heavy rain
(1782).
- K. Rudolphi (1771-1832). Rudolphi (1819) included 350
species belonging to 11 genera in his works Entozoorum
Synopsis. He also gave us the scientific name, Nematoidea.
Often considered as "Father of Helminthology". He gave the
name Nematoidea and produced a publication "Entozoorum
Synopsis" with 350 species belonging to 11 genera
- Siebold (1804-1885) studies introduced the concept of a life
cycle involving different kinds of hosts, with different ways of
penetration. With studies of Charvet (1834), Berthold (1843),
and Dujardin (1842)], Siebold established the Gordiacea (in
1843), he included mermithids in the group. Under the title
"Ueber die Fadenwürmer der Insekten" in six works (1842-
1858), von Siebold described and noted 233 nematode species
from insects.
- Leuckart (1822-1898) clarified Linnaeus' groups and
established Vermes on a firm basis akin to that which we use
today (Fig. 3). Rudolphi (1809), with true perspicacity,
recognized Nematoidea as separate from Acanthocephalea,
Trematodea, and Cestoidea, but Leuckart (1887) established
them as separate groups.
- Hope (1839) wrote "The genera and species of insects infected
by filariae" and complicated an already complex puzzle
concerning the identity of filariids, mermithids, and gordiids.
- Bremser (1824), in his "New Atlas of Intestinal Worms"
recorded Leblond's discussion of the finding of Audouin of
mermithid worms in cockchafers in France. Another French
worker, Dujardin (1801-1860), was also a pioneer in the study
of nematodes in insects in France. He described Mermis
nigrescens in 1842 and Mermis aquatilis in 1845.
- H. C.
Anguillulidae". He described 100 species of 30 genera in which
23 genera were new. Illustrations were fairly good . He also
reported different ways to collect nematode, from soil, plant
tissue, fresh and salt water (1866).
- In Scotland in 1861, Sir John Bulloch described a worm that
was obviously Sphaerularia bombi. In 1853, Meissner (1829-
1905) described Mermis albicans in detail.
- In 1851, Karl Diesing (1800-1867) published Systema
Helminthum, with 175 insect nematode records and involving
five entomophilic genera. He listed 118 species of Gordius, 17
of Mermis, including M. nigrescens and M. albicans and
Sphaerularia bombi as members of the same suborder and tribe.
Not surprisingly, he considered Sphaerularia as a genus
inquirendum. He assigned twelve species to Anguillula, nine of
which had been assigned to Oxyuris spp., and found in intestines
of insects. Diesing recognized two genera, Gordius and Mermis,
but kept them in the same suborder and tribe. It remained for
Vejdovsky (1886) to separate Nematoda and Nematomorpha .
- Braun in 1883 defined the Mermithidae, a definition that still
stands.
- Linstow (1842-1916), in Berlin, initiated a series of papers that
extended from 1860 to 1914. The admirable practice of naming
new genera by the use of a new prefix with -mermis originated
with von Linstow and was first used in establishing the name
Paramermis in 1898. In 1878 , he published a Compendium der
Helminthologie, which lists several entomophilic nematodes.
- Schneider (1831-1890) provided one of the first
classifications of nematodes (1866). He accepted only M.
nigrescens and named a new species M. lacinulata. He separated
Mermis from Gordius, but left Sphaerularia bombi with Gordius
in the same group. In the same monograph, he reveals his
curiosity about S. bombi by including a chapter on its
development.
- O. Butschli(1848-1920, from Germany?). The first detailed
descriptions of the morphological characters used in taxonomy
(1873). Perhaps, credit for founding the science of nematology
should belong to him .
- J. deMan (1851-1930 from The Neitherlands) He suggested
the ratio alpha, beta, and gamma equivalent to a, b, and c that we
use in taxonomy (1880).
- L. Oerley. Excellent compilation of information on 202
species of 27 nematode genera with description and illustrations
(1881). Very good source for references.
- H. Micoletzky. (1883-1929, from Austria) He brought together
all published species in his publication "Die freilebende Erd-
Nematoden". He gave extensive keys to species including their
habitats. This remains as the most valuable source of references
to papers published up to that time (1922)
- I. N. Filipjev (1889-1940, from Russia) "Manual of
Agricultural Helminthology". This is a most comprehensive
compendium of nematological information and is especially
valuable as a reference source for plant parasitic, free- living,
and insect parasitic nematodes described up to that time (1934,
English version, 1941).
- J. Leidy He reported the first record of free living nematodes
in America: Anguillula Longa n.s.. (1851), later became
Tobrilus longus.
- Nathan Augustus Cobb “Father of USA Nematology”
1859-1932. Joined the US Department of Agriculture
in 1907, and nematology began to develop in the Unite States
since. Excellent book: "Contribution to a Science of
Nematology".
-Gotthold Steiner. Began to work with Cobb from 1922. He
worked with all forms of nematodes. He took Cobb's position
after 1932. His publication: "Plant parasitic nematodes the
growers should know" (1949) is one of his good contribution.
- Late in the nineteenth century, three Russian researchers,
Fedchenko (1874, 1886), Keppen (1870, 1881, 1882), and
Radkevitch (1869), gave us information on the entomophilic
nematode fauna of that vast country. They created a tradition
that was carried into the next century by several researchers. Dr.
E.S. Kirjanova(1900-1976) was one of these. She worked on
plant, animal, and insect nematodes, but had a special interest in
the Nematomorpha. She supervised 25 dissertations, and
described 100 new species of nematodes and Nematomorpha.
- Writing about insect nematologists in Russia, Filipjev must be
considered as a prominent nematologist for nematological
science. When writing about Filipjev in the book "Plant and
Insect Parasitic Nematodes", Nickle and Welch stated "If
Rudolphi is recognized as the Father of Helminthology, then
Ivan Nikolaevich Filipjev (1889-1940) may certainly be
named the father of Insect Nematology. Not only did he
contribute indirectly through his work on nematode
classification, but directly by bringing together the scattered
information on insect nematodes and incorporated his own
findings into the synthesis. This formed the second section
(about 80 pages) of a monograph published in Russian in 1934
entitled "Nematodes that are harmful and useful in Agriculture"
(Filipjev, 1934). Sections of this book were sent to Dr. Prof.
J.H. Schuurmans-Stekhoven in Belgium who, as junior author,
had the original Russian translated into French and then into the
"American Language". This was published in Leiden under the
title A Manual of Agriculture Helminthology in 1941.
Also in 1934, Filipjev's "Classification of the free-living
nematodes and their relation to parasitic ones" was published in
English by the Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections (1934).
Micoletzky (1925) and Cobb (1919) dropped their classification
in favor of Filipjev's. Western workers lost contact with
Filipjev, and Kirjanova (1959) reported his death on October 22,
1940.
Filipjev's book on harmful and helpful helminths in agriculture
combines both plant and insect nematodes..
Filipjev (1934) included those nematodes that have insects as
"intermediate" hosts, the Spirurida and Filariida as well as
Nematomorpha. The limits of a scientific field have no sharp
boundaries. Poinar (1975), for example, includes the Spirurids,
Filarids, and Nematomorphs, whereas this book combines the
insect-parasitic nematodes and the plant-parasitic nematodes."
-Hall (1929) presented "Arthropods as an intermediate host for
helminths" but regrettably had no references. Stiles' and Hassall'
s 1920 compendium of generic and specific names was praised
when published as much as it is esteemed today. It is a valuable
volume filled with names and dates, and remarkably free of
errors. It is known as the Index Catalogue of Medical and
Veterinary Zoology, Roundworms. Checklists of more recent
dates include .
- Gilbert Fuchs published a series of papers on bark beetle
nematodes. The series extended from 1914 to 1938
- Yatsenkowsky (1924) in the USSR provided evidence that a
small number of nematodes could cause castration of the bark
beetle hosts, and heavy infections killed the beetles.
Polozhentsev and Negrobov (1967) listed 400 insect species that
are intermediate and definitive hosts for trematodes, cestodes,
acanthocephalans, and nematodes. Another Russian worker,
Ipatyeva (1970), provided a list of nematodes associated with
the Scarabaeoidea..
- In the United States, Cobb(1927), from his experience with
three entomophilic nematodes, stressed the potential of
nematodes in controlling insects. In Britain, Oldham (1933), on
the basis of his own experience and that of T. Goodey (1930) on
Tylenchinemaoscinellae, made the same recommendation. Both
T. Goodey (1951) and J.B. Goodey (1963) produced systematic
books containing nematodes associated with insects.
- Detailed morphological and taxonomic studies were strongly
pursued in the early decade of this century. Dadai (1911),
Daday (1913), and Hagmeier (1912) established many of the
type species for future genera. Cobb (1859-1932), Steiner (1886-
1961), and Christie (1889-1978), three Americans, established
insect nematology in North America in single, dual, and triple
authorships in a long series of papers. Their " Agamermis
decaudata Cobb, Steiner, and Christie 1923; a nema parasite in
grasshoppers and other insects" is recognized as a classic, as
pointed out by Gerald Thorne (1961).
- Two other Americans, Rudolf William Glaserand Norman
R. Stoll , had outstanding contributions. Glaser (1888-1947)
was the first to mention the potential of Neoaplectana nematodes
for biological control, and gave much effort to mass-culture
techniques and was the first researcher to culture N. glaseri on
an artificial culture in vitro. Norman Stoll (1892-1976)
continued Glaser's work on vermiculture (Stoll, 1959).
- Steiner described S. kraussei (1923) and S. glaseri (1929)
- P. Bovien (1933, 1937, 1944), made three excellent
contributions, in one of them he described Neoaplectana affinis
and N. bibionis . Also in this contribution, he suggested the
interrelationship among bacteria, nematodes, and insects (1937).
- S.R. Dutky and W.S. Hough (1955), and the
Czechoslovakian, J. Weiser (1955), simultaneously found a
nematode in the Codling moth that the former designated by its
accession number, DD-136, and the latter named the worm
Neoaplectana carpocapsae. Dutky, and later Weiser, confirmed
the presence of an associated bacterium.
- J.R. Christie(1974) reviewed the parasites of invertebrates,
noting many newly discovered species, chiefly in insects.

- Poinarhas worked with different kinds of insect parasitic

nematodes, especially mermithids and rhabditids. He is a "key
milestone" in the development of entomopathogenic nematodes.
He has authored or coauthored five books and more than 400
publications on nematode systematics, structure, bionomics,
paleontology, natural enemies, epizootiology, and host parasite
relationships. At the present time (2002), he is still working in
evolutionary of nematodes at Oregon State University.

- Nickle provided lengthy papers (1967a, 1972, 1973, 1974)

showing worms in situ and reviews on taxonomy and biology of
insect parasitic nematodes. He has retired from USDA since
1995.

- Shephard (1974) published the compendium of abstracts, this

is of considerable value.

- Massey(1974) produced a monograph on the taxonomy of

nematodes of bark beetles in the United States.

- In the United States, insect pathology was beginning to develop

from late 1940's. Steinhaus (1949) devoted a chapter to
nematodes. Welch (1956, 1963, 1965) revived interest and
reviewed progress in the field, which he named entomophilic
nematology.

- In Europe (late 1940's and early 1950's) at the University of

Erlangen, Professor H.J. Stammer established a school of insect
nematology and from which outstanding students, such as Drs.
H. Korner , E. Liebersperger, G. Osche, W. Riihm , and F.
Wachek, had great contribution to insect nematology.
-In Brazil, L. Travassos has a long series of publications (1925-
1965) contributing to our knowledge of the oxyurids and
thelastomatids in Diplopoda, Chilopoda, and Insecta. Her 1953
paper is a typical example of her work. P.T. Artigas published
his work in "Systematica dos nematoideos dos arthopodes",
1929. This is a very good document for workers in the field. He
also had some good contributions in 1926, 1928