Three new species of Schistonchus (Aphelenchoididae) from the Ficus subgenus Sycomorus (Moraceae) in northern Australia

Abstract

Three new species of Schistonchus were recovered from sycones of Ficus racemosa , F. hispida and F. variegata (Moraceae Subgenus Sycomorus , Section Sycomorus ) from the Cairns region in north-eastern Australia. Schistonchus baculum sp. n. is described from F. racemosa and F. hispida and is differentiated from other species of Schistonchus by a combination of morphological characters including having males with a walking-stick shape, excretory pore opening at the anterior end of the metacorpus, a long post-uterine sac, rose-thorn-shaped spicules, no gubernaculum, two pairs of subventral papillae on the tail, DNA sequence data, and apparent biogeographical range. Schistonchus fleckeri sp. n. is described from F. racemosa , F. hispida and F. variegata and is differentiated by a combination of morphological characters, including a C-shaped female and C-shaped to spiral males, the excretory pore opening near the lips, a short to medium length post-uterine sac, slender sickle-shaped spicules with a reduced rostrum, no gubernaculum, three pairs of subventral papillae on the tail, and apparent biogeographical range. Schistonchus cassowaryi sp. n. is described from F. variegata and is differentiated by a combination of morphological characters, including having C-shaped males and females, a posterior excretory pore situated posterior to the nerve ring, a short to medium length post-uterine sac, rose-thorn-shaped spicules, three pairs of subventral papillae on the tail (one adcloacal, one at mid-tail near lateral, and one near the tip), DNA sequence data, and apparent biogeographical range.