Schistonchus caprifici

Schistonchus caprifici	Contents	Rev 09/14/2023
	Classification	Hosts
	Morphology and Anatomy	Life Cycle
Return to Schistonchus Menu	Economic Importance	Damage
	Distribution	Management
Return to Aphelenchoididae Menu	Feeding	References
Go to Nemaplex Main Menu		Go to Dictionary of Terminology

Classification:

       Tylenchida
       Aphelenchina
         Aphelenchoidea
          Aphelenchoididae
           Aphelenchoidinae

Schistonchus caprifici (Gasperrini, 1864) Cobb, 1927

Type speies of the genus.

Schistonchus caprifici is the earliest described aphelenchid. It has a complex phoretic and parasitic realtionship with the small wasp, Blastophaga psenes (L.), which pollinates the Smyrna fig (see below).

Back to Top

Morphology and Anatomy:

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

Back to Top

Distribution:

Back to Top

Economic Importance:

Back to Top

Feeding:

Feeds, grows and reproduces within inflorescences of caprifig, Ficus carica sylvestris.

Back to Top

Hosts:

For an extensive host range list for this species, click

Back to Top

Life Cycle:

Ecophysiological Parameters:

For Ecophysiological Parameters for this species, click	If species level data are not available, click for genus level parameters

The nematode parasitizes and reproduces on caprifig (Ficus carica sylvestris) inflorescences and also in the haemocoel of the fig pollinator wasp Blastophaga psenes. The process of caprification is the managed pollination of figs that bear pistillate flowers by hanging male flowers from branches to facilitate pollen transfe by wasps.

Staminate and pistillate florets of caprifig infected by S. caprifici exhibited necrosis and cavities in the cortical parenchyma of floret peduncles and stamen filaments.

Schistonchus caprifici is spread from infected to healthy caprifig inflorescences through oviposition behaviour of the wasp, Blastophaga psenes. Wasp development can occur in inflorescences that are infected with nematodes. The nematodes colonize and reproduce in the haemocoel of wasp larvae. The nematode persists in the pupae and winged females that developed in the pistillate florets. Wingless male wasps are not infected by the nematode.

Wasp development apparently does not occur in inflorescences of commercial figs although they are visited by ovipositing wasps which vector nematodes in their florets.

There is no evidence of adverse effect of S. caprifici on B. psenes. However, the association is considered to be a parasitic relationship because of nematode reproduction in the wasp's haemocoel (Vovlas et al., 1992).

Back to Top

Damage:

Schistonchus caprifici feeds om pistillate florets of commercial fig (F. carica) as well as caprifig (Ficus carica sylvestris). Population levels of the nematode were lower in commercial fig than in caprifig (550 nematodes vs. 12,000 nematodes/g fresh floret tissues, respectively) (Vovlas et al., 1992)..

Nematode infection may result in premature inflorescence decay.