Molecular characterisation and phylogenetic relationships of sedentary nematodes of the genus Meloinema Choi & Geraert, 1974 (Nematoda: Tylenchida)

Abstract

Summary Molecular characterisation of two species of Meloinema: M. chitwoodi from Oregon, USA, and M. odesanens from South Korea, is given based on the partial 18S rRNA, the D2-D3 of 28S rRNA, ITS rRNA, and COI gene sequences. In the phylogenetic trees, Meloinema clustered with Meloidogyne, in a basal position and more closely with Meloidogyne indica and M. nataliei. The Shimodaira-Hasegawa (SH) maximum likelihood testing of an alternative topology with two gene fragments (D2-D3 of 28S rRNA and 18S rRNA genes) did not reject a sister relationship of Meloidogyne and Meloinema. Molecular results confirmed the view of Siddiqi (2000) that Meloidogyne and Meloinema evolved from a Pratylenchidae-type ancestor. The clade Meloinema + Meloidogyne + Nacobbus was rejected by the SH test of the D2-D3 of 28S rRNA gene sequence dataset. The molecular results suggested that the genus Nacobbus should be placed not in the Meloidogynidae, but in a separate subfamily, the Nacobbinae, under the family Pratylenchidae.