Meloidoderita safrica

Meloidoderita safrica	Contents	Rev 02/23/2024
	Classification	Hosts
	Morphology and Anatomy	Life Cycle
Return to Meloidoderita Menu	Economic Importance	Damage
	Distribution	Management
Return to Tylenchulidae Menu	Feeding	References
Return to Sphaeronematidae Menu	Go to Nemaplex Main Menu	Go to Dictionary of Terminology

Classification:

Tylenchida
      Criconematina
        Tylenchuloidea
         Sphaeronematidae or Tylenchulidae
        Meloidoderitinae

          Meloidoderita safrica Van den Berg & Spaull, 1982

    Synonyms:

      None.

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Morphology and Anatomy:

See characteristics of the genus Meloidoderita

AFemale:

Body shape subspherical to spherical
Cuticle without spines or longitudinal lines.
Irregularly-shaped neck probably due to constrictions of host cells
Lip region cap-like, flattened.
Stylet slender, sometimes benmt, knobs well-defined.
Meian bulb large
Basal bulb large, rounded.
Vulva terminal with rounded dorsal and ventral lips giving the appearance of a vulval cone.
Uterus swollen with eggs, occupying more than half of the body. Some eggs are deposited into a gelationous egg sac that completely surrounds female body, other eggs are retained..
Uterus wall thickens and forms a cystoid body within the cuticle of the dead female and protects retained eggs

Ref: Van den Berg and Spaull, 1982.

Male:

Very slender
No stylet
Esophageal region degenerate
Four indistinct lines in lateral field
Testis well developed
No bursa

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

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Distribution:

Reported from sugar cane in South Africa

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Economic Importance:

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Feeding:

Sedentary semi-endoparasite with only the neck regiorn embedded in root tissue. Neck region irregularly shaped due to constrainin effects of host cells and cell walls.

Females distributed along the roots or in clusters of 2 or 3.

Males apparently do not feed; lack stylets and functional esophagus. Juveniles have a robust, well-developed stylet.

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Hosts:

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

Egg sacs surrounding females may also contain one to four males, each with a well-developed testis, suggesting the possibility of sexual reproduction.