Schistonchus fistulosus n. sp. (Nematoda: Aphelenchoididae) associated with Ficus fistulosa in China
A new nematode species was recovered from syconia of Ficus fistulosa from the South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, during a survey of nematode biodiversity from 2007 to 2012. It is described herein as Schistonchus fistulosus n. sp. and is typologically characterised by possessing the combined characters of a long post-uterine sac, excretory pore located near the metacorpus, amoeboid sperm, three pairs of subventral papillae on the male tail, a mucron on the male tail tip, absence of a gubernaculum and possession of ox-horn-shaped spicules without a terminal cucullus and with a short, broad and bluntly rounded rostrum. Schistonchus fistulosus n. sp. was easily differentiated from other sequenced species by the partial small subunit rRNA gene (SSU) and D3 expansion segments of the large subunit rRNA gene (LSU). Phylogenetic analysis with partial SSU sequences suggests that S. fistulosus n. sp. has a closer relationship with S. guangzhouensis and S. baculum in the same highly supported monophyletic clade than to the other sequenced Schistonchus species. Based upon inferences using LSU D3 sequence data, it is also in a well-supported monophyletic clade with S. guangzhouensis and S. baculum.