Rev 07/17/2026
Tylenchida Tylenchina Tylenchoidea Anguinidae
Ditylenchus angustus (Butler, 1913) Filipjev, 1936
The nematode was first described by Butler (1913) from rice in modern Bangladesh as Tylenchus angustus and was later transferred to the genus Ditylenchus by Filipjev (1938). In a recent revision of the genus based on phylogenetic analysis of the D2 and D3 of 28S rRNA gene seuences, , Subbotina and Ryss (2024) transferred many of the species of the genus Ditylenchus to two new genera: Ditylenchoides and Paraditylenchus. However, Ditylenchus angutsus remained in the genus Ditylenchus with plant-feeding species that induce galling or result in defrormation of plant tissues.
Reported median body size for this species (Length mm; width micrometers; weight micrograms) - Click:
India, Egypt, Madagascar.
An A-rated pest in California, USA (Martin, 2026).
Nematode causes "Ufra" disease of rice.
An economic analysis case study: Rice production in California, USA
Approximately 500,000 acres of rice are grown in California each year, mainly in the Sacramento Valley. The total value of rice production in California in 2023 was almost $1B (CDFA Ag Statistics) with yields that exceed 10,000 lbs./acre. California is unique among the U.S. rice-producing states in its geography, climate, and environmental regulations. The growing season is characterized by a Mediterranean climate with negligible rainfall, high solar radiation, and cool night-time temperatures. Ditylenchus angustus is a migratory endoparasitic nematode that causes ufra disease of rice. Surveys of rice have been conducted in California to assess the presence of foliar nematodes in the genus Aphelenchoides. Those surveys would also have detected D. angustus, but it has not yet been found in the state (Chitambar et al., 2018). The magnitude of the potential damage to the rice inductry support the classifcation of Ditylenchus andgustus as an A-Rated pest by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (Martin, 2026).
Nematode is found in terminal buds a few days after rice seedlings are transplanted.
Feeds ectoparasitically on newly formed bud tissues.
Rice.
Ecophysiological Parameters:
Nematode is spread through irrigation water.
Can remain dormant and resist desiccation until fields are flooded.
Host tissues may become malformed, stunted, wilted; leaf sheaths are distorted; flowers are sterile; upper nodes show lesions.
Grain yield may be reduced by 50% or more.
Phytosanitary methods, burn rice stubble.
Nematicide Dazomet shows promise in some tests.
Host Plant Resistance, Non-hosts and Crop Rotation alternatives:
Bridge, J., Plowright, R.A. and Peng DeLiang, P.D., 2005. Nematode parasites of rice. In Plant parasitic nematodes in subtropical and tropical agriculture (pp. 87-130). Wallingford UK: CABI Publishing.
Bridge, J., and Starr, J.L. 2007. Cereals: Rice (Oryza sativa). In: Plant Nematodes of Agricultural Importance: A Colour Handbook. Pp. 52-54. Manson Publishing.
Butler, E.J., 1913. Diseases of rice (No. 34). Superintendent government printing, India.
CABI. 2021. Ditylenchus angustus (rice stem nematode). CABI Compendium. https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/full/10.1079/cabicompendium.19285
Chitambar, J. J., Westerdahl, B. B., and Subbotin, S. A. 2018. Plant Parasitic Nematodes in California Agriculture. In Subbotin, S., Chitambar J., (eds) Plant Parasitic Nematodes in Sustainable Agriculture of North America. Sustainability in Plant and Crop Protection. Springer, Cham.
Filipjev, I.N. 1936. On the classification of the Tyelenchinae Proc. Hwelminthol. Soc. Washington 3:80-82.
Martin, H.J. 2026. California Pest Rating Proposal fro Ditylenchus angustus (Butler) Filijev, 1936 rice stem nematode.California Department of Food and Agriculture, Sacramento, California, USA.
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.