First Report of Aphelenchoides Bicaudatus (Imamura, 1931) Filipjev and Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1941 Associated with Grass in South Africa

E Shokoohi; N A G Moyo

doi:10.2478/helm-2022-0035

First Report of Aphelenchoides Bicaudatus (Imamura, 1931) Filipjev and Schuurmans Stekhoven, 1941 Associated with Grass in South Africa

Helminthologia. 2022 Dec 30;59(4):414-423. doi: 10.2478/helm-2022-0035. eCollection 2022 Dec.

Authors

E Shokoohi¹, N A G Moyo²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Research Administration and Development, University of Limpopo, Private Bag X1106, Sovenga 0727, South Africa.
² Aquaculture Research Unit, School of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Agriculture, University of Limpopo (Turfloop Campus), Private Bag X1106, Sovenga 0727, South Africa.

Abstract

Aphelenchoides bicaudatus associated with grass in South Africa was identified morphologically and molecularly. This population is characterized by a body length of 409 - 529 μm, a stylet length of 9.5 - 13 μm, a post-vulval uterine sac of 45 - 50 μm, and the characteristic tail bifurcated at the end with one prong longer than the other. Molecular analyses based on the 18S and ITS rDNA data confirmed the primary morphological identification of the A. bicaudatus species. The obtained phylogenetic trees revealed a close positioning of the South African population to other representatives of A. bicaudatus with the maximum (1.00) posterior probability value. Principal component analysis (PCA) also indicated a variation within the populations of A. bicaudatus. This is the first report of A. bicaudatus from South Africa.

Keywords: Aphelenchoides; PCA; South Africa; grass; morphology; phylogeny; rDNA.