Maqsood Ahmad

Nomenclatorial Notes On Thornenema Thienemanni With a Key To Species of Thornenema (Nematoda: Dorylaimida)

Dorylaimus thienemanni Schneider, 1937 which was moved to the genus Thornenema by Andrassy (1959) is now transferred to the genus Dorylaimoides based on the study of a female juvenile from the original type material. Thornenema thienemanni apud Jairajpuri, 1966 is not conspecific with Dorylaimoides thienemanni (Schneider, 1937) n. comb. and is accordingly renamed Thornenema loofi n. sp. A table giving comparative measurements of species related to T. loofi n. sp. and a key to species of the genus Thornenema have been provided.

Three New and Two Known Species of Dorylaim Nematodes With Proposal of Acephalodorylaimus N. Gen

Three new and two known species of the order Dorylaimida are described. The known species are Cephalodorylaimus papillatus Jairajpuri, 1967 and Chitwoodius seshadrii Baqri, 1980 which are redescribed based on additional materials and the first record of their males. The new species belong one each to the genera Acephalodorylaimus n. gen., Labronema Thorne, 1939 and Dorylaimoides Thorne & Swanger, 1936. Acephalodorylaimus n. gen., with A. attenuatus as type and only species, is proposed for the nematodes which possess a narrow conoid and truncate lip region with slightly raised inner labial papillae, long and narrow odontostyle with obscure aperture, rod-like odontophore, dorylaimoid oesophagus, mono-prodelphic female reproductive system and elongate-conoid tail. It is closely related to the genera Cephalodorylaimus Jairajpuri, 1967 and Malekus Thorne, 1974. Labronema loofi n. sp. is distinct from all species of the genus in having a very narrow odontostyle. However, it comes close to L. chilense Andrassy, 1967 and differs in having a longer and slender body, anteriorly located vulva and smaller tail. Dorylaimoides malabaricus n. sp. is closely related to D. longicaudatus (Imamura, 1931) Thorne & Swanger, 1936 but differs from it in having a smaller body, smaller odontostyle and odontophore, longer oesophagus and tail. Emended diagnosis of the genus Cephalodorylaimus is also provided.

Two New Species of the Genus Thornenema Andrassy, 1959 From Manipur, India

T. caudatum n. sp. differs from T. thienemanni apud Jairajpuri, 1966 in having more posterior vulva and in the shape of the tail. T. longicaudatum n. sp. also comes very close to T. thienemanni and T. caudatum n. sp. but differs from both in having a very long tail.

Athernema N. gen. (Athernematinae n. subfam.), a unique genus of Leptonchidae (Nematoda: Dorylaimida)

An interesting species of dorylaim, Athernema unicum n. gen., n. sp. is described from West Bengal, India. It is unique in the family Leptonchidae because of its strongly sclerotized amphids. It has asymmetrical spear, flask-shaped basal oesophageal bulb, mono-opisthodelphic reproductive system, and a long filiform tail in both sexes. A new subfamily Athernematinae is proposed for its reception.