Two new species of sedentary nematodes of the genus Meloidodera Chitwood, Hannon & Esser, 1956 (Tylenchida: Heteroderidae) from Mexico

Abstract

Two new species of the genus Meloidodera collected in Mexico are described here: M. ferrisi sp. n. parasitising roots of an oak tree in the State of Mexico and M. tecoacensis sp. n. parasitising roots of buffalo bur nightshade in the Tlaxcala State. Meloidodera ferrisi sp. n. is characterised by a spherical female body covered completely by a dark thick cuticular layer, length/width of the female body = 0.8-1.6, stylet = 35-43 μm and second-stage juvenile with average body = 340 μm and average tail length = 35.6 μm. Meloidodera tecoacensis sp. n. is characterised by the female having a spherical body covered with a yellow transparent material, length/width of the female body = 1.1-2.8, stylet = 20-33 μm and second-stage juvenile with average body = 340 μm and average tail length = 29.8 μm. These two species were molecularly characterised using the D2-D3 expansion segments of 28S rRNA, ITS rRNA and COI gene sequences. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the two new species represent a separate evolutionary lineage within the subfamily Meloidoderinae. An identification key for 12 Meloidodera species is provided.