Nematodes constitute one of the most numerous and widespread groups of animals, inhabiting seas, fresh water, soil or living as parasites of animals and plants. Apparently simple organisms, nematodes possess astounding plasticity to adapt to a wide range of conditions and habitats. Nematodes are most widely known as parasites of plants and animals but they are even more numerous as free inhabitants of soil and water. Although nematodes look very similar in general structure, their morphology is very diverse, ranging from cylindrical to aberrant body shapes, which implies different locomotion patterns, while different mouth morphology relates to their feeding ecology.
Nemys offers documentation on free-living marine, brackish, fresh-water and terrestrial nematodes, mainly providing taxonomical information but also ecological information, including literature on type species which can be consulted by the registered users of this online tool.
Nemys is integrated into the World register of Marine Species (WoRMS) hosted at the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), and managed by an international team of taxonomic editors with the help of the WoRMS – Aphia data management team.