Meloidogyne hispanica n. sp. (Nematoda: Meloidogynidae), the 'Seville Root-Knot Nematode'

Meloidogyne hispanica n. sp. is described and illustrated from specimens obtained from peach rootstock, Prunus persica silvestris Batsch, from the Seville district of Spain. The perineal pattern of the female is oval shaped to rectangular with low dorsal arch and often widely spaced lateral lines with fringe-like striae. The stylet, 14.1 mum long, has broad, distinctly set off knobs. Males have a high, rounded head cap that slopes posteriorly. Labial disc and medial lips are fused to form elongate lip structures. The robust styler, 23.5 mum long, has large, rounded knobs that are slightly set off from the shaft. Mean second-stage juveniles length is 392.6 mum. The truncate head region is generally not annulated. The distinctly rounded and raised labial disc and the crescent-shaped medial lips form dumbbell-shaped lip structures. The stylet, 11.1 mum long, has rounded, posteriorly sloping knobs. The slender tail, 46.4 mum long, has large irregular-sized annules in the posterior region and ends in a bluntly rounded tip. Tomato was a good host; tobacco, pepper, and watermelon were poor hosts; cotton and peanut were nonhosts. Meloidogyne hispanica n. sp. reproduces by mitotic parthenogenesis and has a somatic chromosome number of 2n = 33-36. The esterase pattern is unique among Meloidogyne species.