Zeatylenchus pittosporum gen. n., sp n. (Tylenchida: Anguinata), from leaves of Pittosporum tenuifolium (Pittosporaceae) in New Zealand

Abstract

A new genus and species of anguinid nematode, Zeatylenchus pittosporum gen. n., sp. n., was recovered from leaves of Pittosporum tenuifolium from Hahei, Coromandel Region, North Island, New Zealand. The genus is characterised by having slender males and females, excretory pore opening near the lips and level with the knobs of the retracted stylet, pharynx with a weak non-muscular median bulb, pharyngeal glands overlapping the intestine, females with a single gonad with a quadricolumella and post-uterine sac; and males with slender arcuate spicules and the bursa arising <1 anal body diam. anterior to the cloacal aperture and extending ca 30% of distance to the tail tip. Its feeding does not induce galls, only foliar chlorosis. The species has particular characters, including a short, robust stylet with conus forming ca 40% of stylet length and small rounded compact knobs, and tail offset dorsally with a pointed tip. Molecular phylogeny of near full length small subunit, D2/D3 expansion segments of the large subunit and internal transcribed spacer rRNA genes support the description of Zeatylenchus pittosporum gen. n., sp. n. as a new genus and species.