Rev 09/12/2023
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Tylenchida Tylenchina Tylenchoidea Tylenchidae Tylenchinae
Filenchus Andrassy, 1954
Type species of the genus: Filenchus vulgaris (Brzesi, 1961) Lownsbery & Lownsbery, 1985
Synonyms: Dactylotylenchus (Wu, 1968) Discotylenchus (Siddiqi, 1980) Duosulcius (Siddiqi, 1979) Lambertia (Brzeski, 1977) Ottolenchus (Husain & Khan, 1965) Zanenchus (Siddiqi, 1979)
In an extensive review of the genus, Brzeski (1997) noted coverlap of morphometric data among species and proposed extensive synonymization:
F. cylindricollis and F. plattensis with F. butteus
F. ditissirnus, F. clarki, F.. rnicrodorus, F. rnagnus, F zaphari, F. sheri, F. annulatus, F. crassus, F. parvissirnus, F. neorninirnus and F. arnaritus with F. rnisellus;
F. aquilonius with F. orbus;
F. helenae and F. longicaudatulus with F. discrepans;
F. cerealis with F. sandneri;
F. cylindricus, F. cylindricaudatus, F. hageneri, F. japonicus and F. filipjevi with F. thornei
F. mirus, F. cynodontus, F. ruatus, F. angusticephalus, Basiroides paraobliquus, F. conicephalus and F. brevis with F. vulgaris.
Dactotylenchus filiformis with F. hazenensis
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Commonly occurring in most soils.
As an example:
Soil nematodes were studied in three spruce forests in the Czech Republic from 1988 to 1991. A total of 74 species occurred, most belonged to the orders Tylenchida, Rhabditida and Dorylaimida. The most abundant nematodes were the mycophytophagous species of the family Tylenchidae followed by bacteriophages, especially by those in the order Rhabditida.
Probably fairly small.
Most reports are about occurrence and abundance rather than documenting any effects on growth.
Feed on algae, mosses, lichens and plant roots.
Ectoparasites of plant roots, root hairs, algae, etc.
Okada et al (2002 and 2003) have demonstrated that Filenchus misellus and F. fungivorus are fungal-feeding nematodes and able to reproduce on a range of fungi. Saprophytic fungi were better hosts than plant-parasitic fungi.
Okada et al (2005) measured population growth rates of three Filenchus species, when feeding on seven fungal species. On Potato Dextrose Agar and in soil, populations of Filenchus misellus, Filenchus discrepans and an unidentified Filenchus sp. increased on saprophytic fungi (Rhizoctonia solani, Chaetomium globosum, Coprinus cinereus, Flammulina velutipes) but less well on plant-pathogenic fungi (Fusarium oxysporum, Pythium ultimum).
Apparently, fungal-feeding is not unusual for Filenchus.
Relatively slight, small stylets penetrating only thin cell walls.
Bert, W., Okada, H., Tavernier, I., Borgonie, G., Fouthoofd, W. 2010. Morphological, morphometrical and molecular characterisation of Filenchus fungivorus n. sp., a fungivorous nematode from Japan in a most likely polyphyletic genus (Nematoda: Tylenchina). Nematology 12:235-246.
Brzeski, M.W. 1997. Redescription of some species of the genus Filenchus Andr�ssy, 1954 (Nematoda, Tylenchidae). Misc. Zoologica 20:45-64.
Geraert, E. 2008. The Tylenchidae of the world: identification of the family Tylenchidae (Nematoda). Gent, Academia Press: 540 pp
Hanel, Ladislav. 1996. Comparison of soil nematode communities in three spruce forests Boubin Mount, Czech Republic. Biologia (Bratislava) 51. Okada, H., Tsukiboshi, T., Kadota , I., 2002. Mycetophagy in Filenchus misellus (Andrassy, 1958) Raski & Geraert, 1987 (Nematoda: Tylenchidae), with notes on its morphology. Nematology 4, 795-801.
Okada, H., Kadota, I., 2003. Host status of 10 fungal isolates for two nematode species, Filenchus misellus and Aphelenchus avenae. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 35, 1601-1607.
Okada, H., Harada, H., Kadota, I. 2005. Fungal-feeding habits of six nematode isolates in the genus Filenchus. Soil Biol. Biochem 37: 1113-1120.
Yeates, G.W., T. Bongers, R.G.M. de Goede, D.W.Freckman and S.S. Georgieva. 1993. Feeding habits in soil nematode families - an outline for ecologists. Journal of Nematology 25:315-331.