New alien and native Ektaphelenchid nematodes (Tylenchomorpha: Ektaphelenchinae) from China with details on host association and geographical distribution

Ektaphelenchids are entomophilic nematode species, commonly found in association with insects. In the present study, an alien and a native Chinese ektaphelenchid species were described based on integrative taxonomic approaches. Both species have three lateral lines and excretory pore at the same level or posterior to nerve ring. The alien species to China is Ektaphelenchus apophysatus sp. nov. which was recovered from the logs of imported Pinus taeda at Ningbo port, China. It was characterized by females having a conical posterior body end (tail) with variable morphology of the tip, i.e., sharply pointed, bluntly rounded or irregular, and males with spicules having a characteristic apophysis and two pairs of caudal papillae. The native species is Ektaphelenchoides zingiberis sp. nov. which was recovered from the rhizosphere of ginger, growing in the cultivated areas of Shandong province. Ektaphelenchoides zingiberis sp. nov. can be characterized by the presence of orange-red coloured particles in the intestine, female posterior body region (tail) conical, ending to an elongate slender to clavate terminus. The host associations, insect vectors and distribution of both genera are also outlined in the present study. The study will aid the nematologists to explore the biological aspects of ektaphelenchids and will be useful to investigate the nature of relationships between nematodes and their insect associates.

This research was funded by the Ningbo Science and Technology Innovation Team (2015C110018), China Customs Science Program (2020HK161), and Zhejiang Natural Science Foundation (LY19C140003).

Peer reviewed