Taxonomic and molecular identification of hemicaloosia, hemicycliophora, gracilacus and paratylenchus species (nematoda: criconematidae).

Populations of Hemicycliophora epicharoides, H. gigas, H. labiata, H. pruni, H. shepherdi, H. vidua, H. zuckermani, Gracilacus straeleni, and Paratylenchus labiosus were obtained from different geographical areas in the continental United States and characterized morphological and molecularly. Two new species of Hemicycliophorinae: Hemicaloosia uarki n. sp from Pinetree, St. Francis County, Arkansas, and Hemicycliophora wyei n. sp from Wayne County, North Carolina, are also described. Hemicaloosia uarki n. sp. is characterized by having two lip annuli separated from the rest of body and directed anteriorly, a long stylet (106-124 μm), long body length (1,081-1,326 μm) and a single lateral fields demarcated by interruptions of the body annuli. Hemicycliophora wyei n. sp. showed a lateral fields demarked by two faint lines with transverse anastomoses and/or breaks of the striae; an elongated not offset conical tail with distinct annulations and a rounded tip and long vulval lips with a vulval sleeve. The molecular characterizations of the new (H. uarki n. sp. and H. wyei n. sp.) and known species of Criconematidae using the ITS1 rDNA gene sequence and the molecular phylogenetic relationships are provided.