The Identity of Heterodera Longicaudata Seidel, 1972 and a Redescription of H. Bifenestra Cooper, 1955 (Nematoda: Heteroderidae)

Abstract

A comparative study of the original descriptions and type material of Heterodera bifenestra Cooper, 1955 and H . longicaudata Seidel, 1972 revealed that the diagnostic characters that separate these two species are the result of errors made by the original authors. In Seidel's work the width of the vulval bridge is confused with the length of the vulval bridge reported by Cooper, whereas Cooper, when measuring the length of the hyaline terminus of the juvenile tail, may inadvertently have used Punctodera juveniles that were present together with H. bifenestra in his collection of unsorted cysts. It is demonstrated that these two characters are the same in H. longicaudata and H. bifenestra and that the two species are identical. Because of seniority H. bifenestra is the valid name and H. longicaudata a new synonym.