Journal of Plant Pathology & Microbiology

Abstract

Morphological, Molecular and Phylogenetic Study of Filenchus aquilonius as a New Species for Iranian Nematofauna and Some Other Known Nematodes from Iran Based on D2D3 Segments of 28 srRNA Gene

Somaye Alvani, Esmat Mahdikhani Moghaddam, Hamid Rouhani and Abbas Mohammadi

Ziziphus zizyphus is very important crop in Iran. Because there isn’t any research of plant parasitic nematodes on Z. zizyphus, authors were encouraged to work on it. Nematodes isolated from the soil samples by whitehead method (1965) and permanent slides were prepared. Among the species Filenchus aquilonius is redescribed for the first time from Southern Khorasan province. F. aquilonius is characterized by lip region rounded, not offset, with fine annuls; four incisures in lateral line; Stylet moderately developed, 10-11.8 μm long with rounded knobs; Hemizonid immediately in front of excretory pore; Deirids at the level of excretory pore; Spermatheca an axial chamber and offset pouch; Tail about 120-157 μm, tapering gradually to a pointed terminus. For molecular identification the large subunit expansion segments of D2/D3 were performed for F. aquilonius to examine the phylogenetic relationships with other Tylenchids. DNA sequence data revealed that F. aquilonius had closet phylogenetic affinity with Irantylenchus vicinus as a sister group and with other Filenchus species for this region and placed them in one clade with 100% for bootstap value support. Phylogenetic position and additional information of other taxa in Tylenchidae from this region of Iran are included. . Evidence from the 28S gene strongly supports that Filenchus species are monophyletic. There is the first study of D2D3 segment of F. aquilonius and I. vicinus.