Aphelenchoides eldaricus n. sp (Nematoda: Aphelenchoididae) isolated from Pinus eldarica in western Iran

Aphelenchoides eldaricus n. sp. is described and illustrated from wood and bark samples of a dead Mondell pine in Kermanshah Province, western Iran. The new species has a body length of 597 (507-700) mu m (females) and 662 (636-695) mu m (males). The cuticle is weakly annulated with three lateral lines and the lip region is offset. The stylet is 9.6 (9-10) mu m long with small basal swellings and the excretory pore is located ca one body diam. posterior to the metacorpus valve. The spicules are large with the dorsal limb 40 (38-42) mu m long with a prominent rostrum and rounded apex. The female tail is conical, tapering gradually to an acute terminus with a simple ventral mucron. The male tail bears six (2 + 2 + 2) caudal papillae and a well-developed mucron. The new species belongs to the Group 2 category of Aphelenchoides species and is close to four known species, namely A. cibolensis, A. indicus, A. rutgersi and A. sacchari. Molecular analyses of the partial 18S and the D2-D3 expansion segments of the 28S rRNA gene confirmed its morphological status as a new species.