Description of Oigolaimella attenuata n. sp. (Diplogastridae) associated with termites (Reticulitermes) and remarks on life cycle, giant spermatozoa, gut-inhabiting flagellates and other associates

Ants from samples from ten sap fluxes and rotten wood accumulations were examined for the presence of nematodes. The arboreal ant, Lasius brunneus, was found in seven of the ten samples. In the heads of L. brunneus five nematode species were detected: Koerneria histophora, Diploscapter sp., Oscheius dolichurus, Diplogasteroides spengelii and Halicephalobus similigaster, the latter two species for the first time in ants. The occurrence of Koerneria histophora more frequently than described in the literature can be explained by its strong preference for sap fluxes and rotten wood. It is hypothesised that only ants which come into contact with sap flux or rotten wood carry K. histophora. Waving dauer juveniles of Diploscapter sp. and H. similigaster successfully infested not only ants, but also beetles (Tenebrio molitor) in controlled experiments. In two of 11 cases, a transfer of dauer juveniles between ant specimens by trophallaxis was observed. Diploscapter sp. and H. similigaster left infested ants when they were stored in a wet environment.

“…have been discovered in the bodies of termites (Fürst von Lieven & Sudhaus, 2008;Powers et al, 2009), so this is the third report of Halicephalobus associated with insects.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 70%

“…Algal juice is dried brown alga (Fucus sp.) soaked in tap water (Fürst von Lieven & Sudhaus, 2008). Nematodes were identified based upon morphology after reaching the adult stage.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nematodes in the heads of ants associated with sap flux and rotten wood

Köhler

2012

“…Recently, however, several termite-associated nematodes have been described by a number of authors (Fürst von Lieven, 2003;Sudhaus & Koch, 2004;Carta & Osbrink, 2005;Fürst von Lieven & Sudhaus, 2008;Kanzaki et al, 2009a). Fürst von Lieven and Sudhaus (2008) reported 20 casual to tight associations from Reticulitermes lucifugus (Rossi), demonstrating the potential richness of termite-associated nematode fauna of the island of Corsica.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Pseudaphelenchus yukiae n. gen., n. sp. (Tylenchina: Aphelenchoididae) associated with Cylindrotermes macrognathus (Termitidae: Termitinae) in La Selva, Costa Rica

Kanzaki

Giblin-Davis

Scheffrahn

et al. 2009

A species of aphelenchoidid nematode was isolated from a subterranean termite, Cylindrotermes macrognathus, during a survey of termite-associated nematodes in a conserved forest in La Selva, Costa Rica. The nematode was morphologically intermediate between the families Aphelenchidae and Aphelenchoididae, i.e., the nematode had a true bursa supported by bursal limb-like genital papillae but lacked a clear pharyngeal isthmus. The molecular phylogenetic status of the new nematode among tylenchid, cephalobid, panagrolaimid, aphelenchid and aphelenchoidid genera was analysed based on ca 1.2 kb of SSU ribosomal DNA sequence and the inferred position was basal to the family Aphelenchoididae. It was clearly not part of the clade containing the genus Aphelenchus (= Aphelenchidae). This nematode is described herein as Pseudaphelenchus yukiae n. gen., n. sp., and the family definition of Aphelenchoididae is emended to include the unique morphological characters of this new genus. The molecular phylogenetic analysis supported the paraphyly of the three Aphelenchoidinae genera Aphelenchoides, Laimaphelenchus and Schistonchus and the monophyly of Ektaphelenchinae, Seinura (Seinurinae) and Noctuidonema (Acugutturinae). However, many more representatives are needed to resolve the family-genus level phylogeny of Aphelenchoididae.

“…Halicephalobus g¿«^¡va/ís-resembling nematodes have also been reported in the brain of a 3-yearold black Angus cow (Montgomery & O'Toole, 2006). The genus has further been found in compost (Steel et al, 2010), horse manure (Fonderie et al, 2012), humus (Körner, 1954;Shokoohi et al, 2007), soil (Andrássy, 1952;Pokrovskaja, 1964;Mavljanov, 1976), rotten wood (Körner, 1954;Lordello & De Oliveira, 1963;Köhler, 2011), water enclosures in mines up to 1 km deep below ground (Geraert et al, 1988;Borgonie et al, 2011), in (endo)phoretic association with insects (von Lieven & Sudhaus, 2008;Powers et al, 2009;Köhler, 2012), and in commensal association with crabs (Timm, 1956).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental induction of intraspecific morphometric variability in a single population of Halicephalobus cf. gingivalis may surpass total interspecific variability

Fonderie

Steel

Moens

et al. 2013

Although molecular techniques are revolutionising nematode taxonomy, morphological data still form the basis of nematode species descriptions. However, morphological characters show a natural variability that should be taken into account before describing new species. The current study presents the results of an elaborate morphometric study of Halicephalobus cf. gingivalis, including 15 measurements and 13 indices of 540 specimens, the progeny of a single parthenogenetic female and cultured under different temperature and food conditions and measured in different adult age groups, i.e., young adults with a developed vulva but before the onset of oviposition, aduhs laying eggs, and old, post-reproductive adults near the end of their life cycle. The morphometric characters were analysed using both univariate (analysis of variance) and multivariate (principal components and canonical discriminant analysis) techniques. The main results reveal that the morphometric characters most used in Halicephalobus identification keys have a huge variability within a single progeny, e.g., body length 1.9 times longer than the shortest or ratio VA/tail length 3.9 times larger than the smallest. This variability has a magnitude that has not been observed in nematodes before. Further, by changing the environmental factors, the morphometric characters are influenced to an extent that one could assign -with seemingly 'statistical support' -different 'species' of the genus to different subpopulations. With this experimental study we provide convincing elements to advocate an integrative taxonomic approach and to discourage the description of new species based only on morphometric differences.