Subfamily Tylenchocriconematinae

 Rev: 12/18/23

Classification:

      Tylenchida
       Tylenchina
        Criconematoidea
         Tylenchulidae
          Tylenchocriconematinae (Raski and Siddiqui, 1975)

Morphology and Anatomy:

Female:

• Long, slender nematodes, 0.50  to 0.83 mm long;
• labial area with weak sclerotization, anterior surface flattened, bearing squarish plate with H-shaped oral aperture, four small submedian lobes at corners of plate;
• cuticle finely annulated;
• stylet long, slender, and prominent; cone longer than shaft plus knobs, becomes very slender in anterior half;
• procorpus enlarges gradually to large muscular metacorpus followed by long, slender isthmus and elongate posterior bulb with enclosed glands;
• body annulation very fine,
• lateral field slightly raised from contour of body, appears as two longitudinal lines, but SEM photograph shows four equally-spaced lines;
• post-vulval sac very long, 
• single ovary;
• spermatheca offset, distinct, at anterior end of uterus;
• vulva a broad slit with slightly overhanging anterior lip, SEM photograph shows prominent lateral vulval membranes.
• tail conoid.

Male:  

• Slender, slightly shorter than female, 0.42 to 0.65 mm;
• labial area without discernible sclerotization, unusual oblique anterior surface sloping ventrad with small, distinct submedian lobes;
• stylet absent;
• esophagus degenerate;
• lateral field with four equally-spaced lines;
• no sheath;
• spicules long, curved;
• caudal alae long and slender, extending to tail terminus.

Juvenile:

• Similar to female in general aspect and stylet structure.

Feeding:

• Feeds on leaf surfaces and in the crowns of the bromeliad, Tillandsia flabellata;
• largest numbers of nematodes are found in crowns, just below water line.

Additional Information:

• Only 1 known species, Tylenchocriconema alleni.

References:

Raski, D.J. and Luc, M. 1987. A reappraisal of Tylenchina (Nematoda) 10. The superfamily Criconematoidea Taylor, 1936. Revue de Nematologie 10:409-444.

H. Ferris

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