Description of Ektaphelenchus masseyi n. sp. (Rhabditida: Ektaphelenchinae) found in dead wood, from Iran

Ektaphelenchus masseyi n. sp. is described and illustrated. The new species was isolated from dead/rotten wood collected from natural forests in north Iran. It is characterised by 501-758 mu m long females having three lines in lateral field, more or less continuous cephalic region separated from the body only by a shallow depression, relatively short tripartite stylet (total length 13-14 mu m) lacking basal knobs or swellings, excretory pore at base of metacorpus or slightly anterior to it, post-vulval uterine sac 24-32 mu m long, rectum and anus absent, posterior body region conical with finely rounded terminus, and males rare, with a dorsally convex and ventrally flat tail with a small mucron at terminus, 13-15 mu m long spicules, and seven caudal papillae. The new species was morphologically compared with typologically similar species of Ektaphelenchus having three lines in the lateral field, namely E. joyceae, E. macrobulbosus, E. taiwanensis, and E. winteri. It was further compared with E. olitorius and E. prolobos having a similar female posterior body end shape and with an unknown number of incisures in the lateral field. It was also compared with three species currently placed under Ektaphelenchoides, namely E. andrassyi and E. poinari with three lines in the lateral field, and E. compsi with obscure lateral lines. The molecular phylogenetic relationships of the new species with other ektaphelenchid species were investigated using partial small, and large subunit ribosomal RNA gene (SSU and LSU rDNA D2-D3) sequences using the maximal number of currently sequenced ektaphelenchid and seinurid taxa.