Subfamily APHELENCHOIDINAE Skarbilovitch, 1947

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• Aphelenchoidinae Skarbilovich, T.S. 1947. [Revision of the nematode family Anguillulinae Baylis & Daubney, 1926.]. Doklady Akademii Nauk SSSR 57: 307-308 [308].

Introduction

This is the most taxonomically diverse subfamily in the order Aphelenchida. The majority of currently recognised species are in the ubiquitous genus Aphelenchoides, but there are several other large genera, and some smaller ones as well. The subfamily is characterised by a low rounded head lacking any oral disc, and a short stylet with small to large basal swellings.

Most species are associated with fungi, only a few with plants. Common habitats include soil, moss, insect frass, figs and decaying fruit. The species that feed on plants will also feed on fungi (Hooper & Cowland 1986). At least one species may be predatory on other nematodes (McBeth 1937).

Known life cycles are between about 5 and 15 days, which may be typical. The duration of life cycles depends mostly on temperature, but may also depend on food source. Some genera have life cycles involving insects as vectors or intermediate hosts and plants as final hosts. Some species can survive in dried seeds for at least 3 years. Reproduction may be amphimictic or parthenogenetic.

Some members of the subfamily are of known economic importance, as parasites of plants, and others of cultivated mushrooms. Yet other species have been shown to reduce plant yields, but only under certain circumstances. In some of the diseases an interaction with a bacterium is involved. Most species are thought to be innocuous.

General References

Hooper, D.J. & Cowland, J.A. 1986. Fungal hosts for the chrysanthemum nematode, Aphelenchoides ritzemabosi. Plant Pathology 35: 128-129

MacBeth, C.W. 1937. Observations on a predaceous nematode. Proceedings of the Helminthological Society of Washington 4: 18-18

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