Comparative calorie values of nematodes.

Calorie values for a wide biological selection of nematodes, determined with a microbomb calorimeter, ranged from 3.86 to 6.85 Kcal/g. The mean of 5.095 Kcal from 16 species was lower than means recorded in three previous studies of other invertebrate groups. The nematode values were skewed to the lowest limit. Larvae of Ditylenchus dipsaci showed lower calorie values after storage, and the calorie values of separate tissues of Ascaris 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.