Description of Metarhabditis andrassyana gen sp. n. (nematoda: Rhabditidae) from India

Abstract

Metarhabditis andrassyana gen. n., sp. n. from cow dung in India is described and illustrated. The new genus is characterised by medium- to large-sized body; slightly setoff lip region; six lips forming three doublets; rhabditoid stoma with cluster of knobbed setose denticles on metastegostomal swellings; uniformly cylindrical pharyngeal corpus; well developed didelphic gonad with proximally dilated oviducts; ovoid, setoff spcrmathecae; vulva with epiptygma and vulval flaps; rectum with rectal glands; sexual dimorphism in tail with females having long filiform and males with shorter tails: stout spicules with dorsal arm; a pseudopeloderan bursa: eight bursal papillae and copulatory muscle bands. The new genus resembles Rhabditella (Cobb. 1929) Chitwood. 1933 in the structure of spicules (with dorsal arms) but differs in having larger and greater number of metastomal denticles, a remarkably weak pharyngeal corpus, lesser number of genital papillae, a well developed bursa and presence of copulatory muscle bands.