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During the annual monitoring surveys for the pinewood nematodes, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, conducted in the Tuscany region (Central Italy) from the year 2015 to 2019, a total of 1,025 wood samples were collected from symptomatic plants in coniferous forests. Among the eight Bursaphelenchus species found, Bursaphelenchus abietinus and B. andrassyi were identified through morphological and molecular analysis and recorded for the first time in Italy. Additionally, new associations between Bursaphelenchus species and the host plants or insect vectors have been reported. The generalized linear models performed to investigate the possible relation between the level of coniferous plant decay and the occurrence of Bursaphelenchus nematodes highlighted that the probability of the Bursaphelenchus presence in the samples increased with the degeneration of the phytosanitary state of the tree, the presence of blue stain fungi and different types of insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saffron is one of the most precious spices in the world. It is derived from the dried stigmas of the Crocus sativus L. flowers. This plant is triploid sterile and propagated by corms. As a subterranean organ, the corm can come into contact with different nematodes. In this contribution Bursaphelenchus fungivorus was reported for the first time in Italy. It was found associated with C. sativus corms and characterized based on morphological and morphometrical characteristics for this species. The identification was confirmed using molecular analyses. Moreover, a review of nematodes associated with C. sativus worldwide is also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Olive cultivation is of great economic, ecological, and cultural interest in Italy, as well as in the rest of the Mediterranean basin. Among the pests of olive trees, several groups of insects, mites, and nematodes have been reported. Phytoparasitic nematodes especially of the genera Meloidogyne, Pratylenchus, Helicotylenchus, Xiphinema, Tylenchulus, Rotylenchulus, and Heterodera have usually been extracted from roots and soil around trees. On the other hand, no information is available concerning nematodes directly associated with the wood. At the end of September 2018, in a high-density cultivated olive grove in Tuscany (central Italy), several olive trees with decline symptoms were observed. Three Bursaphelenchus species, B. fungivorus, B. minutus, and B. sexdentati were extracted from the wood of one dead tree. Even though these species had already been reported in Italy, these findings were the first ones recorded in olive wood. Moreover, another undescribed Bursaphelenchus species was found associated with the bark beetle Hylesinus fraxini collected from olive trunks and branches. Further research is needed to investigate the role of insects and Bursaphelenchus spp. in the decline processes of olive trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A new species of Bursaphelenchus , extracted from unprocessed logs of Milicia excelsa from Cameroon and arriving in the port of Leghorn, Tuscany, Central Italy, is described. Bursaphelenchus irokophilus n. sp. is based upon morphological and molecular characters and is characterised by the two-lined lateral field, mitten-shaped spicule possessing cucullus and well-developed and slightly dorsally curved condylus with narrowly rounded tip, female vulva with side flap, and long, smoothly tapering and strongly ventrally recurved female tail. The new species belongs to the abietinus -group and is similar to, but distinguished from, B. abietinus and B. rainulfi by the position of secretory-excretory pore, longer and slender female tail and some morphometric values. In addition, the phylogeny based on SSU and D2-D3 LSU regions shows that this species belongs to the abietinus -group, the relationship among the species of this group being discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new phoretic association betweenBursaphelenchus minutusand the bark beetleOrthotomicus erosuscollected onPinus pineais described for the first time. Nematode identification was based on morphological observation and biometric measurements of males and females. Moreover,B. minutuswas characterized by ITS sequences and RFLP profile. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]