Rev 11/04/2024
Ditylenchus myceliophagus Goodey, 1958
Reported median body size for this species (Length mm; width micrometers; weight micrograms) - Click:
Temperate regions, France, Britain; mushroom-growing areas.
Pest in commercial mushroom production.
Feeds on a wide range of fungal hyphae.
Swarms and aggregates on mushroom beds.
Fungi, mushrooms.
Ecophysiological Parameters:
Becomes cryptobiotic if drying is slow, remains viable for 3 1/2 years.
Has a sticky surface that sticks nematode to insect or human vectors.
Withdraws contents of fungal cells, mycelium disappears; mushroom beds become soggy and foul smelling.
Control of infestations is difficult; preventive measures are employed.
Mushroom beds are heated to 60 C or fumigated with methyl bromide - both treatments kill mushrooms.
Thionazin is used at low rates in England to suppress the nematode; Benomyl suppresses the nematode, but also has detrimental effects on the fungus.
Subbotin, S.A. and Ryss, A.Y. 2024. Revision of the genus Ditylenchus Filipjev, 1936: Ditylenchoides gen. n. and Paraditylenchus gen. n. (Nematoda: Anguinoidea). Russian Journal of Nematology, 32: 91-102.