Vol. 61, 2022

(update: 2022.5.26)

A New Species of Free-living Marine Nematode (Ptycholaimellus: Chromadoridae: Chromadorida: Nematoda) from Mangrove Wetlands in China

Yi-Jia Shih^1,2, Yu-Zhen Chen¹, and Yu-Qing Guo^1,2,*

¹Fisheries College, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, China. *Correspondence: E-mail: guoyuqing@jmu.edu.cn (Guo).
E-mail: eja0313@gmail.com (Shih); yifangch2012@163.com (Chen)
²Fujian Provincal key Laboratory of Marine Fishery Resources and Eco-enviroment, Jimei University, Xiamen 361021, China

Received 19 October 2021 / Accepted 2 March 2022
Communicated by John Wang

This study presents a new species of free-living marine nematode, Ptycholaimellus luoyang sp. nov. from mangrove wetlands in China. The identification was confirmed by analyzing morphological characteristics and three genes: COI, 18S rDNA, and 28S rDNA. This species is distinguished from allied species by its short cephalic setae, cylindrical pharynx with anterior swelling, sclerotized transverse ridges occurring near the dorsal tooth, rod-like gubernaculum and proximal, arch-like, slightly waved, middle curved, and distally pointed spicules. The Bayesian topology was regarded as morphological evidence of P. luoyang sp. nov. being a distinct species. Interspecific and intrageneric thresholds of the K2P distance divergence have been presented here for the first time.

Key words: Free-living marine nematode, Ptycholaimellus, New species, Morphology, DNA barcoding.

Citation: Shih YA, Chen YZ, Guo YQ. 2022. A new species of free-living marine nematode (Ptycholaimellus: Chromadoridae: Chromadorida: Nematoda) from mangrove wetlands in China. Zool Stud 61:20. doi:10.6620/ZS.2022.61-20.