Description of Neocephalobus xiamenensis sp. nov. (Nematoda, Panagrolaimidae), a new Panagrolaimid nematode from Southeast China

Abstract

A new free-living nematode species, Neocephalobus xiamenensis sp. nov., is described from rotting citrus collected in Xiamen, Fujian Province, China. Morphologically, the new species is characterised by a body length reaching approximately 1 mm, the presence of minute teeth on both the dorsal and ventral sides of the stoma and by the six pairs of genital papillae and a prominent precloacal mid-ventral papilla in males. Molecular analyses based on partial 18S rRNA and the D2-D3 expansion segments of 28S rRNA indicate that N. xiamenensis sp. nov. is most closely related to Neocephalobus aberrans , N. halophilus and Procephalobus sp. JU169, with these taxa forming a well-supported monophyletic group. This topology further supports the delimitation of Neocephalobus as an independent genus. The combined morphological and molecular evidence supports that the N. xiamenensis sp. nov. population represents a distinct new species. As a culturable gonochoristic species, N. xiamenensis sp. nov. provides an additional taxonomic reference for Neocephalobus and represents a valuable resource for comparative biology for related genera.