Molecular and morphological characterisation of Laimaphelenchus spiflatus n. sp. (Nematoda: Aphelenchoididae) from China

Abstract

Summary Laimaphelenchus spiflatus n. sp. isolated from declining Chinese pine, Pinus tabuliformis, is described and illustrated. The new species can be characterised by its relatively long body size of 1150 ± 108 (976-1437) μm for females and 1092 ± 78.6 (905-1235) μm for males, lateral field with four lines, females with a long vulval flap, and tail conoid, slightly ventrally curved and ending in a stalk having 8-12 projections when observed with SEM. Males are common, with 27.3 (23.4-28.8) μm long spicules having blunt (not well-developed) condylus and rostrum and truncate simple distal tip, and four caudal papillae. By having a vulval flap, four lateral lines and tail end with a stalk (without four tubercles), the new species comes close to L. preissii, L. simlaensis, and L. unituberculus, but can be differentiated from them by morphological characters and morphometric data. In phylogenetic analyses using near full length 18S and D2-D3 expansion segments of 28S rDNA, Laimaphelenchus spiflatus n. sp. appeared as an independent lineage separated from the other Laimaphelenchus spp. that are currently sequenced for their aforementioned genomic regions.