Nematomorph Biodiversity Survey

Our current project will reinvestigate the members of the Gordiida, with specific focus on the fauna in Central and South America. New World gordiids have been well documented from North America and Argentina, but outside of these immediate areas, few records are known from this species rich area. Recent reviews of the gordiid fauna from South and Central America suggest that many species are only known from isolated records but that the species diversity is extremely rich. Study of gordiids in the Americas will allow us to investigate a gradient on a continuous landmass, from moderate regions in the United States, to tropical areas in South America, and to investigate the impact of continental separation and subsequent faunal exchange through Central America. This project will use both traditional and a revolutionary sample collection, site and species identification technique, allowing us to overcome obstacles hampering previous large-scale investigations.