An early record of Meloidogyne fallax from Ireland

• Published in: ZooKeys 2017-01, Vol.643 (643), p.33-52
• Main Authors: Topalović, Olivera, Moore, John F, Janssen, Toon, Bert, Wim, Karssen, Gerrit
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Deoxyribonucleic acid; Distribution; DNA; Identification and classification; Meloidogyne; Meloidogyne fallax; Natural history; Quarantine; Species; Turf; Tylenchida; Zoology
• ISSN: 1313-2989; 1313-2970
• DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.643.11266

Root-knot nematodes, spp., cause huge economic losses worldwide. Currently, three spp. are present on the quarantine A2 list of EPPO, , and . As a quarantine organism, has been detected in England and Northern Ireland on sport turf in 2011, and in England on leek in 2013. However, its presence in Ireland has probably been overlooked since 1965, when Mr. John F. Moore and Dr. Mary T. Franklin had detected a new species for that time. While the relevant data was recorded and a preliminary manuscript describing the species was prepared but never submitted for publication, and together with the original slides, pictures and drawings, it was restudied recently. We compared the population of Irish sp. to other similar spp. Careful observation and comparison shows that it belongs to . The characters found to be common for Irish sp. and are female stylet length (14.6 μm) with oval to rounded basal knobs, oval shaped perineal pattern with moderately high dorsal arch, slender stylet in males (18.5 μm) with set off and rounded basal knobs, slightly set off male head with one post-labial annule and incomplete transverse incisures, and second-stage juveniles with large and rounded stylet basal knobs, and a gradually tapering tail (46.9 μm) with a broadly rounded tip and a clearly delimitated smooth hyaline part sometimes marked by constrictions (12.9 μm). The host test and gall formation also correspond to . The identification could not be additionally supported by molecular analysis, as we were unable to extract DNA from the old permanent slides. Nevertheless, our study reveals that the species detected in Ireland in 1965 belongs to .