Family Dolichodoridae

Chitwood, 1950

Diagnosis (after Luc and Fortuner, 1987)

            Tylenchoidea.  Large slender nematodes with cylindroid bodies.  No secondary sexual dimorphism. Lateral field with three or four lines (incisures). Deirids absent.  Labial region distinctly off-set, annulated (rarely smooth).  Labial sclerotization strong, with a very thick basal plate and thick arches.  Amphid a pertures seen as small slits.  Stylet generally well developed (up to 150 um); cone markedly longer than shaft. Oesophagus with procorpus fused with median bulb, strong valve, short isthmus and pyriform glandular region not overlapping the intestine.  Female tail rounded to hemispherical, or with spike-like extension, rarely elongate-conoid.  Female with two genital branches; columned uterus with four rows of cells; vagina very heavily sclerotized.  Male caudal alae terminal, wing-like, trilobed.  Amphimictic reproduction. Obligate migratory ectoparasites of plant roots.

Type and only subfamily:  Dolichodorinae Chitwood, 1950

Subfamily Dolichodorinae

Diagnosis.  Dolichodoridae. (as in the family).

Type genus:

            Dolichodorus Cobb, 1914

Other genera:

            Neodolichodorus Andrassy, 1976

           = Plesiodorus Siddiqi, 1976

            Brachydorus de Guiran & Germani, 1968

Key to genera

1- Stylet, less than 40 µm, tail attenuated   ......................................  Brachydorus

    Stylet, more than 50 µm, tail conoid, spicate, 

    rarely attenuated............................................................................................  2

2- Female tail conically pointed, lateral field with three incisures ..  Dolichodorus    

 Female tail bluntly rounded, lateral field with four incisures ......Neodolichodorus

                         The genus DOLICHODORUS COBB, 1914 (Fig. 1)

Diagnosis. Dolichodorinae 

Female:  Body long, slender.  Labial region offset by constriction, striated, four-lobed in face view.  Labial disc present.  Amphids laterally directed slits.  Stylet long, (50-160 µm).  Esophagus not overlapping intestine generally (slightly overlapping intestine in some cases).  Lateral field with 3 incisures, areolated.  Vulva at mid-body; gonads two.  Female tail symmetrical, usually tapering suddenly to form spicate end.  Phasmid on tail.

Male:  Body smaller than female, bursa large, trilobed. Phasmids on tail.

Type species:  Dolichodorus heterocephalus Cobb, 1914

Other species:

            D. aestuarius Chow & Taylor, 1978

            D. aquaticus Doucet, 1985

            D. cobbi Golden, Handoo & Wehunt, 1986

            D. grandaspicatus Robbins, 1982

            D. kishansinghi Jairajpuri & Rahmani, 1979

            D. longicaudatus Doucet, 1981

            D. marylandicus Lewis & Golden, 1981

            D. minor Loof & Sharma, 1975

            D. miradvulvus Smart & Khuong, 1985

            D. nigeriensis Luc & Caveness, 1963

            D. profundus Luc, 1960

           D. pulvinus Khan, Seshadri, Weischer & Mathen, 1971

            D. silvestris Gillespie & Adams, 1962

            D. similis Golden, 1958

The genus NEODOLICHODORUS Andrassy, 1976 (Fig. 2)

Diagnosis:  Dolichodorinae

Female (After Luc & Fortuner, 1987):  Labial region rounded, striated (rarely smooth), weakly offset, rounded to roughly quadrangular in en face view; labial disc generally not prominent; amphid aperture small slit dorsally, ventrally directed.  Lateral field with four lines.  Stylet long (50-140 µm), strong.  Tail short, hemispherical, rarely conical.  Phasmids adanal or slightly anterior to anus.

Male (After Luc & Fortuner, 1987):  Spicules not flanged or weakly flanged.  Gubernaculum apparently not protruding.

Type species:  Neodolichodorus obtusus (Allen, 1957) Andrassy, 1976

        = Dolichodorus obtusus Allen, 1957

        = Plesiodorus obtusus (Allen, 1957) Siddiqi,

                                    1976

Other species:

            N. adelaidensis (Fisher, 1964) Siddiqi, 1977

                = Dolichodorus adelaidensis Fisher, 1964

                 = Plesiodorus adelaidensis (Fisher, 1964) Siddiqi,

                                    1976

            N. arenarius (Clark,1963) Siddiqi, 1977

               = Dolichodorus arenarius Clark, 1963

               = Plesiodorus arenarius (Clark, 1963) Siddiqi,

                                    1976

            N. brevistilus (Heyns & Harris, 1973), Siddiqi, 1977

              = Dolichodorus brevistilus  Heyns & Harris, 1973

              = Plesiodorus brevistilus (Heyns & Harris, 1973)

                                    Siddiqi, 1976

            N. cassati (Luc & Dalmasso, 1971) Siddiqi, 1977

              = Dolichodorus cassati Luc & Dalmasso, 1971

              = Plesiodorus cassati (Luc & Dalmasso, 1971)

                                    Siddiqi, 1976

            N. leiocephalus Doucet, 1981

            N. rostrulatus (Siddiqi, 1976) Siddiqi, 1977

               = Plesiodorus rostrulatus Siddiqi, 1976

The genus BRACHYDORUS DE GUIRAN & GERMANI, 1968 (Fig. 3)

Diagnosis:  Dolichodorinae (After de Guiran & Germani)

Labial region rounded, subcircular in cross section. Cephalic sclerotization prominent.  Stylet strong, 3 times as long as width of labial region (less than 40 µm); knobs rounded. Procorpus long, cylindrical, enlarged at its base; median bulb pyriform, well developed; basal bulb oval to pyriform.  Female with two gonads, vulva near middle of body.  Lateral field with 4 incisures, not areolated.  Tail long, attenuated. Male tail trilobed.  Phasmid in both sexes post-anal.  No sexual dimorphism in anterior part of the bodies.

Type species: Brachydorus tenuis de Guiran & Germani, 1968

Other species:  B. swarupi Koshy, Raski & Sosamma, 1981