Comparative calorie values of nematodes
Croll, N.A.; de Soyza, K.
Journal of Nematology 12(2): 132-135
1980
ISSN/ISBN: 0022-300X PMID: 19300684 Document Number: 162677
Calorie values for a wide biological selection of nematodes, determined with a microbomb calorimeter, ranged from 3.86-6.85 Kcal/g. The mean of 5.095 Kcal from 16 spp. [Anisakis simplex, Aphelenchus avenae, Aplectana spp., Cosmocerca spp., Ascaris lumbricoides, Aspiculuris tetraptera, Deladenus siricidicola, Ditylenchus dipsaci, D. myceliophagus, Heterodera avenae, H. trifolii, Litomosoides carinii, Meloidogyne incognita, Panagrellus redivivus and Proleptus obtusus] was lower than means recorded in 3 previous studies of other invertebrate groups. The nematode values were skewed to the lowest limit. Larvae of D. dipsaci showed lower calorie values after storage, and the calorie values of separate tissues of A. lumbricoides were highest for eggs and the intestine and lowest for cuticle and body-wall musculature. No clear calorie distinction exists between nematodes with a parasitic or free-living habit or between large and small nematodes.