Ficophagus chaozhouensis n. sp. (Nematoda: Aphelenchoididae), an associate of Ficus hirta Vahl var. roxburghii (Miq.) King in China

A new nematode species was recovered from the syconia of Ficus hirta var. roxburghii from Chaozhou, Guangdong, China. It is described herein as Ficophagus chaozhouensis n. sp. and is characterised by possessing the combined characters of a short post-uterine sac, excretory pore located near the head, amoeboid sperm, three pairs of subventral papillae on the male tail, rounded male tail tip with mucron (occasionally swollen), absence of gubernaculum (or apophysis), a blunt rosethorn-shaped spicule without a terminal cucullus, and a digitate rostrum with a broadly squared tip. Ficophagus chaozhouensis n. sp. was separated from other sequenced species by differences in the partial small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene and D2-D3 expansion segments of the large subunit (LSU) rRNA gene. Phylogenetic analysis with LSU D2-D3 expansion segment sequences suggested that F. chaozhouensis n. sp. is clustered in the same highly supported monophyletic clade with F. aculeata, F. maxima and F. yoponensis, and is sister to F. aculeata.