گزارش گونه‌ای از جنس Bursaphelenchus Fuchs, 1937 از ایران

So far, two species Bursaphelenchus mazandaranense and B. willibaldi, belonging to the genus Bursaphelenchus, have been reported from Iran. Following our complementary studies aiming identification of species belonging to the genus, a population with unique morphological characters were recovered from Golestan province. The nematodes were extracted and fixed using the common methods and their morphological characters were studied using a light microscope (LM). The recovered population had abnormally a very short body (females 294-338 and males 252-350 µm) and thus, this species could be regarded as the smallest species of genus. It was further characterized by having three incisures in lateral fields, very slim body (body diam. = 6-9 µm), a thin stylet with two small knobs and invisible lumen thorough the stylet, well-developed 9.0-11.8 µm long median bulb having large valvular plates and excretory pore behind metacarpus. The females were characterized by having a simple vulva (lacking flap), elongate conical ventrally bent tail with finely rounded tip, stylet 6.0-7.5 µm long and postvulval uterine sac 32-34 µm long. Males have ventrally bent 14-17 µm long tail and small bursa, curved 10-12 µm long spicules without a cucullus and seven caudal papillae. Based upon aforementioned characters, the species belongs to eggersi group (according to the latest intragenus grouping of the species) and compared with all species of genus, typologically resembles two species: B. eggersi and B. scolyti and looks also similar to B. minutus by its small body. However, the latter species seems does not belong to the genus Bursaphelenchus.