Mononchoides macrospiculum n. sp. (Nematoda: Neodiplogastridae) and Teratorhabditis synpapillata Sudhaus, 1985 (Nematoda: Rhabditidae): nematode associates of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Oliver) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Italy

Abstract

Several juvenile and adult nematodes were isolated after dissection of pupae and adults of the red palm weevil,Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, recovered from an infestedPhoenix canariensisChabaud exemplar in Bari, Italy. Two species of nematodes were recovered,Teratorhabditis synpapillataandMononchoides macrospiculumn. sp. which is described herein. The mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI), the ITS-containing region, the 18S rRNA gene (SSU) and the D2-D3 expansion domains of the 28S rRNA gene (LSU) were amplified and sequenced. The new species,M. macrospiculumn. sp., is described at morphological and molecular level. Phylogenetic analyses using SSU and LSU sequences placedM. macrospiculumn. sp. together withM. composticolaandM. striatus. The sequences of the Italian population ofT. synpapillataare identical to those ofT. synpapillatafrom Japan. This is the first report on the association ofM. macrospiculumn. sp. andT. synpapillatawith the red palm weevil in Europe.

Molecular profiling of nematode associates with Rhynchophorus ferrugineus in southern Italy

“…The present study confirmed the co‐occurrence of two phoretic nematode species, T. synpapillata and M. macrospiculum , associated with RPW at all sampling sites (Troccoli et al, ) and provided information regarding other nematodes potentially associated with RPW in southern Italy. Individual insects can simultaneously harbor more than one nematode genus (Grucmanová, Holuša, Čermák, & Nermut, ; Kanzaki et al, ; Shimizu et al, ); R. palmarum and R. cruentatus are reported to host several nematode associates, including Teratorhabditis and Mononchoides spp.…”

“…(Esparza‐Diaz et al, ; Kanzaki et al, , , ; Mazza et al, ; Sudhaus et al, ). This finding confirmed the possibility of vertical transmission between Teratorhabditis and Mononchoides nematode genera and the insect genus Rhynchophorus (Kanzaki et al, ; Troccoli et al, ), suggesting that the ecological niche plays an important role in shaping the nematode community of Rhynchophorus spp. Furthermore, this result suggests an important role for both nematode genera in supporting RPW during palm tree attacks.…”

“…In the RPW samples from Apulia, nematodes were found under the elytra and in the hemocoel of adults, and pupae and inside the cocoons and dead palm tissues of P. canariensis , P. dactylifera and C. humilis (Figure ). Two nematode species phoretically associated in the hemocoel and external surface of all RPW samples from P. canariensis and P. dactylifera were molecularly identified as T. synpapillata and M. macrospiculum by their 100% sequence identity with those in the database (Kanzaki et al, ; Troccoli et al, ), while only M. macrospiculum was detected in C. humilis . Apart from the two phoretic nematode species found in this study, other nematode species were also occasionally associated with R. ferrugineus .…”

“…In R. ferrugineus , the only reported nematode associates were Teratorhabditis synpapillata and Praecocilenchus ferruginophorus (Rao & Reddy, 1980; Kanzaki et al, ). However, a close association of Mononchoides macrospiculum and T. synpapillata was recently found in R. ferrugineus from Apulia (Southern Italy) (Troccoli, Oreste, Tarasco, Fanelli, & Luca, ). To date, few studies have been conducted on nematodes associated with R. ferrugineus to evaluate the possibility that all Rhynchophorus species can act as vectors of pathogenic nematodes, introducing them to new areas and new host plants.…”

Nematode epibionts on skin of the Florida manatee, Trichechus manatus latirostris

“…These are Mononchoides sp. NK-2017 isolated from the palmetto weevil Rhynchophorus cruentatus 12 , M. macrospiculatum isolated from the red palm weevil R. ferrugineus 13 , M. compositicola 14 and M. striatus . The LT diplogastrid morphospecies is clearly a putative new species closest to or sister with C. manati that shares highly derived stomatal morphology and an association with the Florida manatee but should probably be reconsidered as a highly derived Mononchoides, not part of a separate genus ( Cutidiplogaster ) (Fig.…”