Bursaphelenchus singaporensis sp. n. (Nematoda: Parasitaph-elenchidae) in packaging wood from Singapore—a new species of the B. xylophilus group

Bursaphelenchus singaporensis sp. n. isolated in China from packaging wood of deciduous trees, imported from Singapore is described and illustrated. This new species clearly belongs to the B. xylophilus group, having males with the typically shaped spicules with a cucullus at their distal extremity, the typical position and number of caudal papillae (three pairs and one single) and the anterior vulval lip of the females developed as a distinct flap. The new species is characterized by a body length of 792 (553–950) µm and 850 (690–961) µm of males and females, respectively, robust body (a= 34 and 31, resp.), 15–16 µm-long stylet, lateral field with four lines, long postuterine branch (averaging 102 µm) and a strongly conoid female tail (c= 20) with a finely rounded, only slightly ventrally-bent terminus, male with very strong spicules (41–48 µm long), distinct rostrum and small cucullus, and a dorso-ventral visible terminal bursa. Bursaphelenchus singaporensis sp. n. is closely related to other species of the B. xylophilus group (B. xylophilus, B. mucronatus, B. kolymensis, B. fraudulentus, B. conicaudatus, B. baujardi and B. luxuriosae) and similar to B. abruptus. The morphological differentiation is mainly based on the shape of the female tail. However, B. singaporensis sp. n. differs from all other species of the B. xylophilus group by larger spicules. The new species can be differentiated from B. abruptus, B. xylophilus, B. mucronatus, B. fraudulentus, B. conicaudatus and B. luxuriosae by means of ITS-RFLP patterns.