Phylogenomic Insights into the Evolution and Origin of Nematoda.

The phylum Nematoda represents one of the most cosmopolitan and abundant metazoan groups on Earth. In this study, we reconstructed the phylogenomic tree for phylum Nematoda. A total of 60 genomes, belonging to eight nematode orders, were newly sequenced, providing the first low-coverage genomes for the orders Dorylaimida, Mononchida, Monhysterida, Chromadorida, Triplonchida, and Enoplida.

The Effect of Axenic Dietary Restriction on the Age-Related Changes in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Axenic dietary restriction (ADR) is highly effective in extending lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans, but its effects on healthspan improvement are less well characterized. Using transmission electron microscopy, morphometric analyses, and functional assays, we found ADR can preserve tissue ultrastructure, including the cuticle, epidermis, and intestinal lumen, and reduce age-associated pathologies like gonad degeneration, uterine tumor clusters, pharyngeal deterioration, and intestinal atrophy. However, there was no notable improvement in behavioral and functional metrics.

Europe as a secondary distribution hub in the worldwide invasion of the potato cyst nematode Globodera rostochiensis.

The potato cyst nematode Globodera rostochiensis originates from the Andean Mountain region in South America and has unintentionally been introduced to all inhabited continents. Several studies have examined the population genetic structure of this pest in various countries by using microsatellite markers. However, merging microsatellite data produced from different laboratories is challenging and can introduce uncertainty when interpreting the results.

Exploring the use of metabarcoding to reveal eukaryotic associations with mononchids nematodes.

Nematodes play a vital ecological role in soil and marine ecosystems, but there is limited information about their dietary diversity and feeding habits. Due to methodological challenges, the available information is based on inference rather than confirmed observations. The lack of correct dietary requirements also hampers rearing experiments.

An Improved Phenotyping Method for Evaluation of Yam ( spp.) Resistance to Nematodes Belonging to the Genera and .

Phenotyping yam ( spp.) germplasm for resistance to parasitic nematodes is hampered by the lack of an efficient screening method. In this study, we developed a new method using rooted yam vine cuttings and yam plantlets generated from semi-autotrophic hydroponics (SAHs) propagation for phenotyping yam genotypes for nematode resistance.

Nematodes associated with terrestrial gastropod molluscs in Belgium and additional characterisation of and .

A survey for slug- and snail-associated nematodes was conducted in forests, parks, botanical gardens, and nature reserves at 13 localities in Belgium to uncover more diversity of gastropod mollusc-associated nematodes and to characterise populations found in the country. A total of 319 slugs and snails belonging to nine species were examined. was the most commonly found mollusc species in this study (eight locations), and 19.

A New Root-Knot Nematode species, n. sp. (Nematoda: Meloidogynidae), From Mexico and a Taxonomic Update on From Guatemala.

A new root-knot nematode (RKN) species, n. sp., associated with sweet pepper from Mexico, and a population of from Guatemala, are described using data from morphological, biochemical (isozyme enzymes), molecular, and phylogenetic analyses.

Pellioditis pelhamensis n. sp. (Nematoda: Rhabditidae) and Pellioditis pellio (Schneider, 1866), earthworm associates from different subclades within Pellioditis (syn. Phasmarhabditis Andrássy, 1976).

Recently, much attention has been focused on a group of rhabditid nematodes called Phasmarhabditis, a junior synonym of Pellioditis, as a promising source of biocontrol agents for invasive slugs. Pellioditis pelhamensis n. sp.

Characterization of and (Tylenchina: Hoplolaimidae) from banana, with phylogeny and species delineation in the genus .

The morphological and molecular characterisations of two lance nematode species isolated from the rhizosphere of banana, and , are provided based on an integrative study that includes light and scanning electron microscopy, phylogenetic analysis and two tree-based molecular species delimitation methods (GMYC and bPTP). Nineteen new sequences were obtained, including 5 partial 18S rRNA, 6 D2-D3 of 28S rRNA, 1 ITS rRNA and 7 mtDNA (the first sequences of and ), and an updated morphological character comparison of 37 species is presented. The tree-based molecular species-delimitation approaches employed gave markedly differing results, and also showed remarkable discrepancies among the investigated genes, although the bPTP output was found to agree well with established morphological species delimitations.

All quiet on the western front? The evolutionary history of monogeneans (Dactylogyridae: Cichlidogyrus, Onchobdella) infecting a West and Central African tribe of cichlid fishes (Chromidotilapiini).

Owing to the largely unexplored diversity of metazoan parasites, their speciation mechanisms and the circumstances under which such speciation occurs - in allopatry or sympatry - remain vastly understudied. Cichlids and their monogenean flatworm parasites have previously served as a study system for macroevolutionary processes, e.g.

First Reports and Morphological and Molecular Characterization of and Associated with Chickpea in Ethiopia.

Chickpea ( L.) is classed among the most important leguminous crops of high economic value in Ethiopia. Two plant-parasitic nematode species, and , were recovered from chickpea-growing areas in Ethiopia and characterized using molecular and morphological data, including the first scanning electron microscopy data for .

n. Sp. (Nematoda: Paratylenchinae) Associated with Holly from the Netherlands and New Taxonomical and Phylogenetic Support for the Synonymization of with .

n. sp. was found associated with holly in the Netherlands and was described based on morphology, morphometrics, rRNA and mitochondrial genes, phylogenetic relationships with other species, host information and geographical distribution.

First Report of the Root-Knot Nematode Parasitizing Plantain (., AAB) in Nigeria.

Plantain ( spp., AAB), an important staple food in Africa with West Africa accounting for 32% of global production, is prone to numerous pests and diseases of which plant-parasitic nematodes are a key concern. This includes root-knot nematodes (RKN; spp.

Remarks on phylogeny and molecular variations of criconematid species (Nematoda: Criconematidae) with case studies from Vietnam.

The family Criconematidae is a remarkable group of nematodes, containing roughly 600 nominal root-ectoparasitic species, of which many species are known to be significant agricultural pests. Strikingly, our phylogenetic analyses based on 18S, D2-D3 of 28S rRNA, and COI mtDNA sequences of criconematid species, supported by tree topology tests (SH and AU tests), revealed that almost all studied genera, including Criconema, Ogma, Crossonema, Discocriconema, Hemicriconemoides, Criconemoides, Mesocriconema, and Lobocriconema, are not monophyletic groups, a finding that is partly contrary to those of previous studies on these groups. Our results suggest that key morphological characters used in the classification of Criconematidae are the consequence of convergent evolution.

An Integrated Approach for Synonymization of with . (Nematoda: Hoplolaimidae) Reveals High Intraspecific Mitogenomic Variation.

is a widely distributed, economically important plant-parasitic nematode group whose species-level identification relies largely on limited morphological characters, including character-based tabular keys and molecular data of ribosomal and mitochondrial genes. In this study, a combined morphological and molecular analysis of three populations of from Belgium, Poland, and the Netherlands revealed important character variations of this species, leading to synonymization of with and a high nucleotide variation within gene sequences in these populations. Additional Illumina sequencing of DNA from individuals of the Dutch population revealed two variants of mitogenomes, each approximately 23 Kb in size, differing by approximately 9% and containing 11 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, and as many as 29 transfer RNA genes.

' Xiphinematincola pachtaicus' gen. nov., sp. nov., an endosymbiotic bacterium associated with nematode species of the genus (Nematoda, Longidoridae).

An intracellular bacterium, strain IAS, was observed to infect several species of the plant-parasitic nematode genus (, , , , and ). The bacterium could not be recovered on axenic medium. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of IAS was found to be new, being related to the family Burkholderiaceae, class Betaproteobacteria.

Genomic Reconstruction of the Introduction and Diversification of Golden Potato Cyst Nematode Populations in Indonesia.

Potato cyst nematodes (PCNs), the umbrella term for and , coevolved with their Solanaceous hosts in the Andean Mountain region. From there, PCN proliferated worldwide to virtually all potato production areas. PCN is a major factor limiting the potato production in Indonesia.

n. sp. (Nematoda: Hoplolaimidae) associated with finger millet in Kenya.

n. sp. was found associated with finger millet in Kenya and is described based on light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and molecular information.

Morphological and molecular characterization of species from Yam ( spp.) in West Africa.

The root-lesion nematodes (RLN), spp., are among the major plant-parasitic nematodes affecting yam ( spp.) production in West Africa.

Morphological and molecular characterization of n. sp. (Nematoda: Heteroderidae) from Gran Canaria, Canary Islands.

n. sp. from the coastal dunes of Gran Canaria, Canary Islands, is described.

Integrative Taxonomy and Molecular Phylogeny of the Plant-Parasitic Nematode Genus (Nematoda: Paratylenchinae): Linking Species with Molecular Barcodes.

Pin nematodes of the genus are obligate ectoparasites of a wide variety of plants that are distributed worldwide. In this study, individual morphologically vouchered nematode specimens of fourteen species, including and , are unequivocally linked to the D2-D3 of 28S, ITS, 18S rRNA and gene sequences. Combined with scanning electron microscopy and a molecular analysis of an additional nine known and thirteen unknown species originating from diverse geographic regions, a total of 92 D2-D3 of 28S, 41 ITS, 57 18S rRNA and 111 new gene sequences are presented.

Description of sp. n. (Nematoda: Hemicycliophoridae) associated with T.L. Wu and a web-based key for the identification of spp.

During a survey of plant diseases in the Central Highlands of Vietnam, a new plant-parasitic nematode, Hemicycliophora cardamomi sp. n., was discovered in the growing areas of Amomum longiligulare, a valuable medicinal plant with high economical value.

Structure, development, and evolutive patterns of spermatozoa in rhabditid nematodes (Nematoda: Rhabditida).

Spermatogenesis of five rhabditid nematodes was studied using transmission electron microscopy and is described herein. Structure and development of nematode sperm in all available representatives of the extensive order Rhabditida have been analysed and the main characteristics of each infraorder are discussed. The ancestral sperm of the order Rhabditida was reconstructed using maximum likelihood and Bayesian methods based on 44 ultrastructural sperm characters.

Plant-parasitic nematodes associated with sugarcane in Kilimanjaro, Tanzania.

Morphological and molecular analyses of plantparasitic nematodes (PPN) from 12 sugarcane plantation sites of Tanganyika Planting Company (TPC) Limited in Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania revealed the presence of six PPN genera, i.e. , , , , , and .

First report of infecting turmeric in Vietnam and consequent damage.

Turmeric ( L.) is one of the common medicinal crops of high economical value in Vietnam. A survey in the Central Highlands of Vietnam revealed a turmeric growing area showing serious disease symptoms, including stunting of the plant, yellowing or darkening of the leaf margins and tips, and underdeveloped dry and rotten rhizomes.