Diplopeltula Gerlach 1950

Genus Diplopeltula Gerlach, 1950

Type species. Diplopeltula breviceps Gerlach, 1950

Diagnosis. (Modified from Fonseca & Bezerra (2014).) Striated cuticle, sometimes with longitudinal bars. Loopshaped and elongated amphideal fovea, may be located on cuticularised amphideal plate. Ocelli absent. Buccal cavity cup- or barrel-shaped, sometimes minute, situated terminally or slightly dorsally. Pharynx cylindrical, with or without posterior bulb. Female reproductive system with two outstretched ovaries. Tail usually conical, sometimes conicocylindrical.

Remarks. The taxonomy of the genus Diplopeltula was most recently reviewed by Holovachov et al. (2009). They considered D. botula Wieser (1959) Gerlach, 1962, D. lucanica Boucher & Helléouët, 1977 and D. striata Gerlach, 1956 to be species inquirendae due to lack of information on pharynx morphology and female reproductive system. They also transferred the species Diplopeltis bathmanni Jensen, 1991 to the genus Diplopeltula, Diplopeltula curtus Vincx & Gourbault, 1992 to the genus Pararaeolaimus, and Diplopeltula pulcher and Diplopeltula sundensis to the genus Diplopeltoides Gerlach, 1962. More recently, Diplopeltula nellyae Vincx & Gourbault, 1992 was transferred to the genus Mudwigglus by Leduc (2013). Some species described by Bussau (1993), namely D. mollis Bussau, 1993 and D. peruensis Bussau, 1993, lack information on the female reproductive system and are therefore considered species inquirendae.