First observation on morphological and molecular characters of Bitylenchus ventrosignatus (Tobar Jiménez, 1969) Siddiqi, 1986 isolated from tomato in Dalmada, South Africa

Abstract

During a survey on the biodiversity of plant-parasitic nematodes in Limpopo Province, South Africa, Bitylenchus ventrosignatus was discovered around the rhizosphere of a tomato in Dalmada. The nematodes were extracted using the tray method and then fixed according to available protocols. The morphological characters fit well with the description of B. ventrosignatus. In addition, molecular analysis using 18S and 28S rDNA indicated 99% similarity (MW255611; MW255613) with the Botswana population of B. ventrosignatus. The phylogenetic analysis of 18S and 28S rDNA placed the examined population with other populations of B. ventrosignatus in a group with a posterior probability support value of 1.00. According to published literature, this is the first morphological and molecular characters of 18S and 28S rDNA of B. ventrosignatus from South Africa.