Paractinolaimus persicus sp. n. (Nematoda: Actinolaimidae) from Iran.

A new species of the genus Paractinolaimus, namely, Paractinolaimus persicus sp. n., is described. It is characterised by body 2.3-2.6 mm long; low, truncate lip region; four massive, acute onchia; stoma walls covered with sparse tiny denticles; odontostyle 25-28 µm long; well developed, didelphic-amphidelphic female reproductive apparatus; vulva a longitudinal oval pore; absence of advulval papillae; female tail 146-224 µm long (c' = 3.3-5.9), elongated filiform, curved ventrad, and with acute terminus; male tail convex conoid with blunt terminus; and 17-18 nearly contiguous ventromedian supplements. This species was recovered from the rhizosphere of wild grass. Line drawings, LM and SEM photographs and measurements are provided.

Morphological and molecular characterization of three Helicotylenchus species from Iran.

Three Helicotylenchus species, namely Helicotylenchus digonicus, Helicotylenchus pseudorobustus and Helicotylenchus vulgaris were identified during a nematode survey conducted in Iran. The morphological and molecular characteristics of the species were defined. In addition, phylogenetic analysis of five Iranian Helicotylenchus populations based on 28S rDNA were done and showed the unresolved position of molecularly identified H. pseudorobustus and H. digonicus. However, populations of H. vulgaris and H. digonicus were placed close to each other. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that molecularly characterized Helicotylenchus species formed a monophyletic clade. A detailed revision of the species is, however, needed. Illustrations and measurements for all species are provided.

New isolate of Mononchoides composticola Steel, Moens, Scholaert, Boshoff, Houthoofd & Bert, 2011 (Nematoda: Neodiplogasteridae) from Iran.

Mononchoides composticola was isolated during a survey on free living nematodes from vermicompost in Iran. This population of M. composticola is characterised by a dorsal claw-like tooth; 7-9 µm long and 3-5 µm wide, 14-15 finely visible longitudinal ridges on the cuticle, in which each ridge comprises two lines, long spicules (39-45 µm long), a short gubernaculum (15-17 µm or less than half of the spicule length), two pairs of precloacal papillae, five pairs of postcloacal papillae, papillae (v3) comprising three small papillae, and a long filiform tail (418-654 µm in females, 382-455 µm in males). Molecular analysis of M. composticola based on sequence of the 18S rDNA placed it close to M. composticola (GU943511; GU943512; from Belgium) and M. striatus (AY593924; from The Netherlands) in a well supported clade (1.00 posterior probability). Measurements, illustrations, LM and SEM pictures, and the phylogenetic position of M. composticola are given.

Butlerius butleri Goodey, 1929 (Rhabditida) from Iran with the Phylogenetic Position of the Species.

A population of Butlerius butleri Goodey, 1929 was isolated from vermicompost in Kerman in the Kerman Province of Iran during a nematode survey that was conducted during 2014. This population of B. butleri is characterized by the presence of a dorsal thorn-like tooth (4 to 5 µm long), long spicules (44 to 47 µm long), gubernaculum (33 to 37 µm or more than half of the spicule length), three pairs of precloacal papillae, five pairs of postcloacal papillae (papillae V3 and V5 comprising three small papillae), and a long filiform tail (304 to 409 µm in females, 312 to 380 µm in males). Molecular and phylogenetic analysis of B. butleri individuals from this Iranian population based on 18S ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (rDNA) sequence placed this species close to Pseudodiplogasteroides compositus (AB597237) and an unidentified Pseudodiplogasteroides species (AB597238). Measurements, illustrations, and the phylogenetic tree, including the position of B. butleri are provided.

Description of Paracrobeles deserticola sp. n. and Nothacrobeles hebetocaudatus sp. n. (Nematoda: Rhabditida: Cephalobidae) from Iran and the phylogenetic relationships of these two species.

Two new species of nematodes belonging to the family Cephalobidae (Nematoda, Rhabditida) are described from natural areas in the province of Kerman, Iran. Paracrobeles deserticola sp. n. is characterized by its body length of 0.48-0.60 mm in females and 0.47-0.66 mm in males, cuticle annulated and weakly tessellated into rectangular blocks with striae discontinuous across annulations, lateral field with two wings, areolated, separated by a narrow groove, lip region slightly offset, 15-20 µm wide, lips asymmetrical with two long seta-like processes arising from its margin, primary axils bearing one triangular-elongate guard process, secondary axils with two setiform guard processes with one originating from each lip, labial probolae bifurcated with long and smooth prongs having a small basal ridge, stoma 11-14 µm long, metacorpus swollen, spermatheca 33-50 µm long, post-uterine sac 60-96 µm long or 2.9-4.5 times the corresponding body diameter, vulva located slightly posterior to mid-body length (V = 50-63), female tail conical with finely rounded tip (53-67 µm, c = 9.0-10.0, c' = 2.0-3.0), male tail conical and curved ventrad with finely rounded tip (48-54 µm, c = 9.0-13.0, c' = 1.8-2.0), spicules 46-56 µm long and curved ventrad, and gubernaculum 16-24 µm long. Nothacrobeles hebetocaudatus sp. n. is characterized by its body length (0.42-0.51 µm in females and 0.42-0.52 µm in males), "single" cuticle, lateral field with three incisures, asymmetrical lips divided in two sections at level of the labial papilla, each lip with four tines along its margin, primary axils deep bearing one triangular-elongate guard process originating from the incomplete first annulus, secondary axils demarcated by narrow incisures separating the lips of the pair and without guard processes, labial probolae bifurcated and without tines (7-11 µm long), pharyngeal corpus 2.0-3.7 times isthmus length, R(ex) = 28-38, spermatheca 24-55 µm long or 2.9-3.8 times the corresponding body diameter, post-uterine sac 18-27 µm long or 0.7-1.3 times the corresponding body diameter long, female tail conical with rounded terminus (30-36 µm, c = 13.6-15.5, c' = 1.8-2.3), phasmid at 38-44% of tail length, male tail conical (28-40 µm, c = 11.5-15.3, c' = 1.7-2.0), spicules 20-25 µm long and gubernaculum 11-16 µm long. Descriptions, measurements, illustrations and SEM pictures are provided for these two species. In addition, SEM study of N. abolafiai is presented. Molecular analysis based on 28S rDNA (D2/D3 expansion fragments) places Paracrobeles deserticola sp. n. in a clade together with N. abolafiai and N. hebetocaudatus sp. n., while other species of the genus Nothacrobeles (N. borregi, N. spatulatus and N. tringlarus) are all placed in separate clades. The results suggest that the genus Nothacrobeles might be a polyphyletic taxon.