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Summary: Two Ruehmaphelenchus species were isolated from the ambrosia beetles Euwallacea kuroshio and E. interjectus , collected from Okinawa and Kagoshima, Japan, respectively. Both nematodes were successfully cultured on a lawn of the grey mould Botrytis cinerea. Morphological observation and molecular characterisation revealed that both species are undescribed; therefore, the nematodes are described herein as R. kuroshioi n. sp. and R. interjectus n. sp. Phylogenetically, both species are closely related to R. formosanus , R. fujiensis , R. digitulus and R. asiaticus. Ruehmaphelenchus kuroshioi n. sp. is characterised by a conical male and female tail, which has a terminal projection (mucron), small male spicule with a weakly-developed triangular condylus, dorsal and ventral limbs that are connected to each other by three different tissues, and clearly separated distal pairs of genital papillae (P3 and P4). However, R. kuroshioi n. sp. can be distinguished from its close relatives by a combination of male and female tail characters and its distinctive phylogenetic status. Ruehmaphelenchus interjectus n. sp. is almost identical to R. formosanus , sharing characteristic lateral spikes of the spicule; they form a well-supported phylogenetic clade. However, R. interjectus n. sp. is distinguished from R. formosanus by morphometric values and ribosomal RNA, i.e. , a 6-bp difference from the ca 1.7 kb molecular sequence of the 18S ribosomal RNA of R. formosanus , which warrants independent species status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Steinernema tielingense was found to be widely distributed in Japan. The molecular characteristics of the nematodes isolated from Japan are basically in accordance with those mentioned in the original description of S. tielingense. However, the Japanese isolates are morphologically distinct from the type population by the following characters: length of the infective juvenile, 711 (671-769) μ m, excretory pore of adult males and infective juveniles located posterior mid-pharynx, D% < 50%, smaller H value of 35% and shorter spicules in adult males of both generations. Although discrepancies in morphology and morphometric data between the Chinese isolate and Japanese isolate were observed, the molecular data matched and on this basis the Japanese isolate was identified as being conspecific with S. tielingense. The symbiotic bacterium isolated from the Japanese population of S. tielingense was identified as Xenorhabdus bovienii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: We isolated two tylenchid species belonging to the Sychnotylenchinae, Sychnotylenchus hibisci n. sp. and Neoditylenchus xiphydriae n. sp., from the bark beetle Ernoporus corpulentus and wood wasp Xiphydria ogasawarai , respectively. Sychnotylenchus hibisci n. sp. is characterised by its moderately stout body in both male and female, gubernaculum to spicule length ratio of one-third or less, crustaformeria structure composed of four columns with six large, rounded cells, and a broad female tail with a rounded terminus. The new species is closely related to S. ulmi , with which it shares body shape and gubernaculum to spicule length ratio, but is distinguished by the female tail shape and several morphometric values. Neoditylenchus xiphydriae n. sp. is characterised by its oval to leaf-shaped male bursa, male tail tip reaching the distal end of, and protruding beyond the bursa, a long post-vulval uterine sac (PUS), and a conical female tail with a narrowly rounded terminus. The species is typologically similar to N. pinophilus but is distinguished by its male spicule shape, gubernaculum to spicule length ratio, and longer PUS. Phylogenetically, the Sychnotylenchinae belongs under the Anguinidae (superfamily Sphaerularioidea) and is closely related to several Ditylenchus , Neotylenchus , Neomisticius , and Ficotylus species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]