FIRST MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF DITYLENCHUS FILIMUS ANDERSON, 1983 (NEMATODA ANGUINIDAE) BASED ON THE POPULATION FROM IRAN

During a survey on the biodiversity of plant-parasitic nematodes in Khuzestan province (southwest Iran), Ditylenchus filimus was discovered in the rhizosphere of date palm. The morphological and morphometric data were provided for the recovered species. The morphological characters of Iranian population are in agreement with the type population and other populations of this species. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of the species with representatives of the family Anguinidae were discussed using partial sequences of the small subunit, D2-D3 expansion segments of the large subunit, and internal transcribed spacer regions of ribosomal DNA (SSU, LSU D2-D3 and ITS rDNA) based on Bayesian inference (BI). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of molecular characterization of this species. Key Words: 18S rDNA, D2-D3 LSU rDNA, ITS rDNA, Ditylenchus, morphometric data, phylogeny