Laimaphelenchus heidelbergi sp nov (Nematoda : Aphelenchina) from Victoria, Australia, and emendment of the diagnosis of the genus

Abstract

Laimaphelenchus heidelbergi sp. nov. is described from wood of the exotic pine, Pinus radiata, from Heidelberg Park, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia. This is the third record of Laimaphelenchus from Australia. The new species is characterised by having a unique tail structure, with a single tubercle with many tiny projections visible only with scanning electron microscopy, and the male has a spicule with two small protrusions on the ventral side about 2 μm from the distal end. The diagnosis of the genus is emended.