Description of Aphelenchoides rotundicaudatus n. sp (Nematoda: Aphelenchoididae) found in packaging wood from South Korea

Aphelenchoides rotundicaudatus n. sp. was isolated from packaging wood from South Korea imported to Ningbo harbour, China. Specimens were collected directly from wood samples using the Baermann method. Multiplication on Botryotinia fuckeliana failed. The new species has a body length of 364-509 mu m (males) and 371-493 mu m (females). The cuticle is weakly annulated and there are four lines in the lateral field. The stylet is 8-9 mu m long and has small basal swellings. The excretory pore is located ca one body diam. anterior to median bulb. Spicules are small (10-13 mu m), apex and rostrum rounded and only slight offset. The male tail has six (2 + 2 + 2) caudal papillae. Both male and female tails are cylindrical with a broadly rounded terminus, often with a small region of thickened cuticle or a blunt peg ca 1 mu m long, particularly in the female. The new species belongs to the Group 1 category of Aphelenchoides species. Phylogenetic analyses based on full length ITS, partial LSU and SSU of rDNA confirmed its status as a new species.