Description of Neodiplogaster crenatae sp. n. and N. acaloleptae sp. n. (Nematoda: Diplogastridae) from Japan.

Neodiplogaster crenatae Kanzaki, Masuya & Kubono sp. n. and N. acaloleptae Kanzaki sp. n. are described and figured. Neodiplogaster crenatae sp. n. was isolated from the bark beetles Scolytoplatypus daimio and S. shogun (Scolytidae) emerging from dead logs of Fagus crenata, and was cultured on Botrytis cinerea growing on malt extract agar. Neodiplogaster crenatae sp. n. has male spicules which are relatively stout and arcuate in lateral view but curved to appear Y-shaped in ventral view; the male tail tip is bifurcate and the female tail is long and tapered. Neodiplogaster crenatae sp. n. appears closest to N. velata but is distinguished from it by spicular morphology and female tail length. Neodiplogaster acaloleptae sp. n. was isolated from the cerambycid beetle Acalolepta luxuriosa and reared on B. cinerea growing on potato dextrose agar. Neodiplogaster acaloleptae sp. n. has a conical male tail with narrow bursa covering the entire tail, smoothly tapered and strongly arcuate male spicules, leaf-shaped gubernaculum with a pointed anterior end, and long female tail with a filiform terminus. The new species is close to N. pinicola, N. piniphili and N. wacheki, but may be distinguished by its long female tail and male gubernaculum shape. The partial SSU and D2/D3 LSU of N. crenatae sp. n. were sequenced and compared with those of other sequenced nematodes, revealing that SSU was closest to those of other diplogastrid species, but that D2/D3 LSU was close to Anisakis spp. Neodiplogaster crenatae sp. n. propagated on a fungal lawn of B. cinerea and ambrosia fungi associating with its carrier beetles, but the nematode did not propagate on bacteria. The main food resource of Neodiplogaster spp. is hypothesised to be fungi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]