Bursaphelenchus masseyi

Bursaphelenchus masseyi	Contents	Rev 05/18/2021
	Classification	Hosts
	Morphology and Anatomy	Life Cycle
Return to Bursaphelenchus Menu	Economic Importance	Damage
	Distribution	Management
Return to Aphelenchoididae Menu	Feeding	References
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Classification:

Chromadorea
Rhabditida
Tylenchina
Aphelenchoidea
Aphelenchoididae; Bursaphelenchinae; Bursaphelenchinae
Bursaphelenchus masseyi Tomalas, Worrall & Filipiak, 2013

Morphology and Anatomy:

	Female: . Body length 958 (765-1203) µm. Vagina directed anteriorly; post-uterine sac extended 58-87% of distance between vulva and anus; thick vulval flap. Female gonad outstretched with oval spermatheca.
Male: Body length 874 (691-1122) µm. Spicules, with short capitulum and a rostrum usually pointed anteriorly. Short terminal bursa.
Ref. Tomalas et al. (2013).
Reported median body size for this species (Length mm; width micrometers; weight micrograms) - Click:

Distribution:

Reported from bark of trunks of unhealthy and dying trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) in Gunnison National Forest, Paonia, Colorado, USA.

Vectored by the bark beetleTrypophloeus populi- dauer juveniles of the nematode occupy and are carried in the haemocoel of larvae, pupae and adult beetles.

Unknown. All stages occur in larval galleries of the bark beetle Trypophloeus populi. Grows vigorously on the fungus Cytospora chrysosperma which occurs in the galleries of the vector. The fungus is pathogenic to aspen and contributes to Sudden Aspen Decline (SAD). It is possible that the nematode moves the fungus within the tree (Tomalak et al., 2013).

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Feeding:

Can be cultured on fungi. Feeds readily on Cytospora chrysosperma but poorly on Botrytis cinerea.

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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

Dauer juveniles are carried by the bark beetleTrypophloeus populi- dauer juveniles of the nematode occupy and are carried in the haemocoel of larvae, pupae and adult beetles.

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Damage:

Possibly contributing to Sudden Aspen Decline by distributing the fungal pathogen within the tree. Experiments inoculating trees with the nematode in the absence of the fungus are needed to determine whether there is direct damage by the nematode.

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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:

Tomalak, M., Worrall, J. and Filipiak, A. 2013. Bursaphelenchus masseyi sp.n. (Nematoda: Parasitaphelenchinae) - a nematode associate of the bark beetle Trypophloeus populi Hopkins) Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), in aspen, Populus tremuloides Michx.affected by sudden aspen decline in Colorado. Nematology 15:907-921.