Morphological and molecular characterisation of Enchodelus babakicus n. sp. and E. macrodorus Thorne, 1939 (Nematoda: Nordiidae) from Iran
Abstract A new species with a rounded tail belonging to the Enchodelus macrodorus-group is described from a natural habitat in the vicinity of Kaleibar City, north-west Iran. Enchodelus babakicus n. sp. is characterised by its medium sized body (1.21-1.56 mm), lip region offset by a marked constriction, odontostyle 40-45 μm long, tripartite uterus and presence of abundant males with 49-61 μm long spicules and 10-14 spaced ventromedian supplements. The new species is close to E. distinctus, E. groenlandicus, E. macrodorus, E. microdoroides and E. saxifragae. A population of E. macrodorus was also found in the same sample as the new species. Molecular analysis was inferred from sequencing of 18S rDNA and ITS1 regions of three species of the genus from Iran, including E. babakicus n. sp., E. macrodorus and E. veletensis, together with other available sequences in GenBank. The sequences showed that E. babakicus n. sp. belongs to a clade formed by Enchodelus species characterised by a rounded tail.