Abstract
The first available compilation of Iberian soil and freshwater nematodes is presented in this paper. The inventory is currently made up of 981 species belonging to 236 genera, 77 families and 12 orders. Data of the Iberian nematode fauna are compared with other components of the Iberian biota, as well as the nematode fauna of other geographical regions. Quantitative and qualitative aspects of the nematode inventory are analyzed and discussed, paying special attention to the kind of information available for each species, and concluding that practically one-third of Iberian species are deficiently characterized and need further study. Endemicity of Iberian species is also considered: 143 species, 14.6% of the total, are restricted (in their distribution) to the Iberian geography, most of them being members of the orders Dorylaimida (87) and Tylenchida (29), which are also the most diversified nematode taxa. Practical or applied interest of knowledge of the Iberian nematode fauna is commented and supported with examples and recent contributions. Finally, an alphabetical list of the species, ordered by specific name, is provided.
Highlights
The biodiversity of any territory is one of its main distinctive features and its characterization serves fundamental and applied purposes
The biota of soil and freshwater sediments has hitherto received little attention, it plays an important role in their respective food webs
Nematodes are a highly diversified zoological group, which displays a wide trophic spectrum and shows perhaps the widest geographical spread among animals. They are a major component of living communities inhabiting soils and freshwater bodies
Summary
The biodiversity of any territory is one of its main distinctive features and its characterization serves fundamental and applied purposes. Nematodes (phylum Nematoda or Nemata) are a highly diversified zoological group, which displays a wide trophic spectrum and shows perhaps the widest geographical spread among animals. They are a major component of living communities inhabiting soils and freshwater bodies. Soil and freshwater Iberian nematodes have been recorded throughout the last five decades, starting with the work of Gadea (1952), the pioneering Spanish nematologist. The aim of the present contribution is to update the inventory of Iberian nematode species and provide a general panorama of our current knowledge (of them) as well to discuss its fundamental and applied interest
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