Family Telotylenchidae

                                 Revised 01/31/26

Classification:

Phylum Nematoda

  Class Chromadorea

    Subclass Chromadoria

Order Rhabditida

                 SuborderTylenchina
                  Superfamily Tylenchoidea
        
          Telotylenchidae (Siddiqi, 1960) or Dolichodoridae

    Synonyms:
    

Morphology and Anatomy:

•  Cephalic region rounded; Cephalic framework with weak to medium sclerotization.
•  Labial region continuous or slightly offset, never bulbous.
• Amphid apertures often visible on the sub-median lip sectors.
• Lateral field with 3 to 5 incisures.
• Stylet short to moderate length, with cone about as long as shaft. 
• Corpus not enlarged and metacorpus well developed.
• Esophageal glands in a bulb, not overlapping intestine.
• Females diovarial, amphidelphic, except Trophurus which ismonovarial).
• Female tail rounded to conoid.
• Male tail conoid; bursa enveloping tail tip.    

Morphological and morphometric studies of  the subfamily Telotylenchinae (family Dolichodoridae) have been problematic because there is an almost continuous range of features within populations of the same species, as well as amongst species  (Scheck, 2023).

Azizi et al (2022) concluded that analyses based on the relatively conserved 18S rDNA gene underlined the polyphyletic status of Tylenchorhynchus sensu lato. They determined  that three clusters representing Tylenchorhynchus, Bitylenchus and Sauertylenchus were well separated, and interspersed by representatives of the Macrotrophurinae. Analysis of the more variable D2-D3 28S rDNA sequences suggested at least four clades within the subfamily Telotylenchinae: two clades dominated by Tylenchorhynchus species; a third clade with representatives of Sauertylenchus, Bitylenchus, and Paratrophurus in distinct but unresolved branches; and a fourth clade dominated by Trophurus species. They concluded that both Bitylenchus and Sauertylenchus should be seen as valid Telotylenchinae genera related to, but distinct from Tylenchorhynchus.

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References

Azizi, K., Eskandari, A., Karegar, A., Ghaderi, R., Elsen, S.V.D., Holterman, M. and Helder, J., 2022. Analyses of morphological and molecular characteristics of Telotylenchinae from Iran point at the validity of the genera Bitylenchus and Sauertylenchus. Zootaxa, 5169(5), pp.425-446.

Fortuner & Luc, Rev. Nematol. 10(2):183-202 (1987).

Geraert, E. 2011.  The Dolichodoridae of the World.  Academia Press, Gent Belgium. 520p.

Scheck, H.J. 2023. California Pest Rating Proposal for Bitylenchus maximus (Allen, 1955) Siddiqi, 1986 Stunt nematode. California Department of Food and Agriculture, Sacramento.

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