Aphelenchoides subbotini sp. n. (Nematoda: Aphelenchoididae) from roots of mangrove plant Excoecaria agallocha in India

Summary

Aphelenchoides subbotini sp. n. was isolated and described during a survey on the east coast mangroves from West Bengal, India. The species was isolated from the necrotic and damaged roots of the blind-your-eye mangrove plant Excoecaria agallocha. The new species can be differentiated from the other known Aphelenchoides species by having a relatively shorter body length (538.9 ± 47.6 μm), weak stylet with distinct basal swelling, reproductive tract stretched approximately 0.45 times of the body length including postvulval uterine sac, vulval position at around 65-70% of the body length with unmodified vulval lips, and ventrally arcuate conical tail bearing a tetramucronate (rarely trimucronate) spine with blunt processes. Molecular characterisation was carried out based on small subunit 18S rDNA, ITS rDNA and D2-D3 expansion segment of 28S rDNA genes. The phylogenetic analyses based on the ribosomal 18S, ITS and D2-D3 genes confirmed clear separation of A. subbotini sp. n. as a new species. This is the first report of any Aphelenchoides species from a blind-your-eye mangrove plant from this locality.