Pratylenchidae

Family PRATYLENCHIDAE

                                    Rev 05/28/2025

Synonyms:
Nacobbidae (Chitwood, 1950)
Radopholidae (Allen & Sher, 1967)

Body slender, vermiform to greatly swollen.
Lip region low, less than 0.5 the diameter of basal lip annule; generally with fewer than five annules
Cephalic framework well developed, especially the basal plate.
Deirids rare (Pratylenchoides).
Phasmids located on tail region.
Tails generally more than two anal body diameters long.
Stylet strong, but short, less than 2.5 times longer than the diameter of basal lip region annulus.
Esophageal glands overlap the intestine, generally ventrally (exception: some Pratylenchoides).
Male caudal alae peloderan.
Females with one or two genital branches (when one the posterior branch is a postuterine sac).
Columned uterus composed of three rows of cells.
Sexual dimorphism may occur, either male feeding apparatus atrophied or females may be saccate.
Obligate endoparasites of higher plant roots, either migratory or sedentary parasites.

Ref: Maggenti, et al. (1987), H. Ferris