Three new species of nematodes (Nematoda: Enoplida) from coastal waters of Vietnam

Abstract

Three new species of free-living nematodes of the order Enoplida from coastal shallow waters of northern Vietnam are described and illustrated. Paramesacanthion vietnamicum sp. n. is morphologically close to P. oxycephalum (Ditlevsen, 1926), P. truncum Vitiello, 1971, and P. hirsutum Warwick, 1970; however, it differs in lacking subcephalic setae and in having articulate cephalic setae in the males. Viscosia pygmaea sp. n. is morphologically similar to V. parva Kreis, 1929 but differs in having a shorter body and a shorter and thicker tail in the females. V. pygmaea is distinguished from V. megalaima (Ditlevsen, 1928) by its shorter body, longer cephalic setae, more slender tail, and the position of the vulva. Viscosia longicaudatoides sp. n. can be distinguished from V. parva and V. timmi Gagarin, Nguyen Vu Thanh, 2007 by its thinner body, longer and more slender tail, and shorter and narrower stoma. In contrast to V. timmi, it has short spicules and lacks vesicle-like cells between the gut and the longitudinal chords.