Cotylenchus cleo

 

Contents

 

Rev 01/05/2026

  Classification Hosts
Morphology and Anatomy Life Cycle
Return to Cotylenchus Menu Economic Importance Damage
Distribution Management
Return to Anguinidae Menu Feeding  References
    Go to Nemaplex Main Menu   Go to Dictionary of Terminology

Classification:

      Tylenchida
       Tylenchina
        Tylenchoidea
         Anguinidae
          Anguininae
          
 Cotylenchus cleo Alvarez-Ortega & Subbotin, 2024

Species name in memory and recognition of the faithful dog of Sergei Subbotin,

Synonyms

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Morphology and Anatomy:

 

   Males:

  • Similar morpholgy to females
  • Monorchic, testis outstretched. Spermatocytes in a single row.
  • Spicules slightly ventrally arcuate, gubernaculum simple, crescent-shaped.
  • Bursa with crenate margin, well developed, starting anterior to cloaca and extending less than half of the tail, 46-56 um long.

Ref: Alvarez-Ortega and Subbotin, 2024

Reported median body size for this species (Length mm; width micrometers; weight micrograms) - Click:


 

Females:

  • Body cylindrical, long, slender, slightly ventrally arcuate or straight when relaxed.
  • Cuticular annulation distinct. Lateral field with six incisures,
  • Lip region low, anteriorly flattened, with rounded margins, continuous with body contour.
  •  Stoma opening pore-like, surrounded by a slightly raised and small, circular oral disc.
  • Amphidial apertures situated laterally on first lip annulus.
  • Cephalic framework weak.
  •  Stylet robust, conus 40-46% of stylet length, knobs large and rounded,
  • Dorsal pharyngeal gland orifice (DGO) located close to the stylet knobs.
  • Metcorpus oval with distinct valve. Isthmus cylindrical and narrower than procorpus,
  • Nerve ring surrounding isthmus. Excretory pore located near basal pharyngeal bulb.
  • Basal pharyngeal bulb pyriform to elongate, abutting intestine.
  • Crustaformeria as a quadricolumella.
  • Ovary mono-prodelphic, outstretched, oocytes in a single row. Spermatheca oblong, sperm rounded
  •  Vagina straight, 49-60% of vulval body width.
  • Vulva a simple transverse slit. with lips flush or slightly to non-protruding
  •  Post-vulval uterine sac empty, tube-like, 1.5-3.2 x vbd long.
  • Anus a transverse, anteriad curved, slit.
  • Tail long conical, tapering to a pointed terminus
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Distribution:

Described from western sword fern plants growing in rainforests in several locations of Olympic National Park, Washington State, USA (Alvarez-Ortega and Subbotin, 2024).

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Economic Importance:

 

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Feeding:

  Foliar tissues of the sword fern, Polytichum munitum

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Hosts:


 Besides its fern host, C. cleo can be cutured ofn fungi: Botrytis and Fusarium

For an extensive host range list for this species, click

 
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Life Cycle:

Ecophysiological Parameters:

For Ecophysiological Parameters for this species, click If species level data are not available, click for genus level parameters

 The abilty to feed on fungi may heve survival value in the event of host leaf death. Anhydrobiosis a common survival aid in Anguinidae but not yet studied in this species.

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Damage:

Fern leaves necrotic and chlorotic. Necrotic areas delimited by leaf veins.

Necrotic and chlorotic symptoms include yellowing, light to brown interveinal areas in fern leaves; symptoms similar to those induced by the foliar plant-parasitic nematodes, Aphelenchoides fragariae and A. ritzemabosi. No swellings, abnormal growths of leaves or growth suppression were observed in infected ferns (Alvarez-Ortega and Subbotin, 2024).

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Management:

Host Plant Resistance, Non-hosts and Crop Rotation alternatives:

For plants reported to have some level of resistance to this species, click

 

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References:

Alvarez-Ortega, S., Subbotin, S.A. 2024. Cotylenchus cleo gen. n., sp. n., a new plant-parasitic nematode (Tylenchida: Anguinidae) parasitising on leaves of western sword fern plants from rainforests in Washington State, USA. Nematology 26: 579-592.

 

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Copyright 1999 by Howard Ferris.
Revised: January 05, 2026.