Tripylina rorkabanarum Prado-Vera, Ferris & Nadler, 2016, n. sp.

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences (Life Sciences)

Tripylina rorkabanarum n. sp. Measurements. Table 2. Tripylina rorkanbanarum n. sp. was collected by the first author from moss on tree bark ecological reserve at the La Mancha Ecological Institute, Veracruz, México in August 2012 and again in August, 2013. Female: (n=19). Body slender, curved ventrally, posterior end of tail usually bent dorsally after fixation. Cuticle thin (1.0 m) with fine striations. Lip region asymmetric, 7–16 m (12±0.8) wide, continuous with the body contour. Three lips, each with two small labial papillae at the base. Outer labial setae plump and leaf-shaped with wide base and pointed apex. Cephalic setae in a whorl 1–2 Μm behind the outer labial setae. Dorsal wall of stomal chamber thickened more strongly anteriorly (Figs. 7,8). Head asymmetric, conoid, 16–20 Μm wide. Relaxed specimens C-shaped, with tail curved ventrally and bent dorsally at posterior end. Body pores and a few somatic setae present, mainly in the anterior half of the body. Mouth with three small triangular-shaped lips, each with a pair of conical inner labial papillae at its base; outer labial setae longer 8–11 (10±0.33) Μm long or 42–69% of head width; cephalic setae 5–6 (5.3±0.18) Μm long, in a whorl 1–2 Μm behind the outer labial setae. Amphid apertures almost circular, close to the level of the dorsal tooth 8–17 (11.6±1.0) Μm or 0.4–1.0 (0.6±0.4) times the width of the head from the anterior end; dorsal tooth small, 10–15(13.6±0.63) Μm from the anterior end and 1–2 Μm anterior to the subventral teeth. Two cervical setae observed, the anterior 72–84 (80±1.5) Μm, and the posterior 108–123 (115±4.4) Μm, from the anterior end. Excretory pore not seen. Pharynx 151–185 (173±3.9) Μm long. Base of pharynx to vulva 424–603 (508±14.7) Μm and 669–867 (770±19.5) Μm to anus. Cardia relatively small, 10–17 (13±0.9) Μm long and 17–28 (23±1.5) Μm wide, with two gland-like bodies. Nerve ring at 70–88 (82±5.8) Μm from the anterior end (Figs. 7,8). Vulva with or without protruding lips and without sclerotized pieces around the vagina. Gonad 104–240 (171±13.8) Μm long or 9.8–23.7 (17±1.3)% of the body length, ovary reflexed. Vulva anus distance 226–311 (263±9.5) Μm. Tail ventrally curved 67–99 (81±2.7) Μm long, 7–9 (8±0.2)% of the body length, with the posterior portion bent dorsally, terminated by a small spinneret 1–2 (1.7±0.1) Μm long. A pair of latero-dorsal setae present posterior to the anus and another pair anterior to the reduction in tail width (Fig. 7, Table 2). Male: Unknown. Type locality and habitat. Black-colored moss growing on bark of a tropical tree at the La Mancha Ecological Institute, Municipio de Actopan, Veracruz State, México, N 19°35'50.3" W 96°22'36.8", 15 m above sea level. Etymology. This new species is named in honor of Dr. Rodrigo Rodriguez Kabana, for his outstanding scientific productivity in Nematology and his great contributions to the Organization of Nematologists of Tropical America (ONTA). Type specimens. Holotype female CNHE 9254 and paratypes CNHE 9253 of Tp. rorkabanarum are deposited in CNHE; paratypes in CNCP (A-082-2), UCRNC and USDANC. Diagnosis and relationships. Tripylina rorkabanarum n. sp. is characterized by the presence of two cervical setae, the position of the subventral teeth posterior to the dorsal tooth, the absence of sclerotized pieces around the vagina, the thickened dorsal wall of the stomal chamber mainly in the anterior region, the length of the pharynx, 151–185 (173±3.9) Μm, the distance of the dorsal tooth from the anterior end, 10–15 (13.6±0.63) Μm and the presence of a few somatic setae (Figs. 7,8). Tripylina rorkabanarum n. sp. is similar to Tp. montecilloensis Cid del Prado-Vera, Ferris, Nadler & Lamothe- Argumedo, 2012, in body length, position of the vulva, absence of a visible excretory pore, and the presence of two cervical setae. It differs in the position of the dorsal tooth anterior vs. posterior to the subventral teeth, in the distance of the amphid to the anterior end 8.0–17 vs. 15–26, in the length of the tail 151–185 vs 141–207 Μm, in the length of the outer labial setae 8–11 (10±0.3 vs. 10–15 (13±0.5), in the distance of the dorsal tooth from the anterior end, 10–15 (13.6±0.6) vs. 14–20 (16±0.5) Μm and in the distance vulva-anus 226–311 (263±9.5) vs. 165–302 Μm. Tripylina rorkabanarum n. sp. is also similar to Tp. arenicola (De Man, 1880) Brzeski, 1963 in the size of the body, in the position of vulva and in the posterior position of the subventral teeth relative to the dorsal tooth. It differs in the lack of a visible excretory pore, the length of the tail 67–99 (81±2.7) vs. 48–76 Μm, the length of the outer labial setae 8.0–11 (10±0.3) vs. 10–14 Μm, and in the indices c and c’= 11–15 (12.6± 0.3) and 3–4.5 (3.7±0.2) vs. 13–18.7 and 1.9–2.8, respectively. Tripylina rorkabanarum n. sp. is also similar to Tp. sheri Brzeski, 1963, in the length of the body and in the thickened dorsal wall of the stoma. It differs in the lack of a visible excretory pore, in having two cervical setae, the lack of cuticular thickenings in the vaginal walls, in the position of the subventral teeth posterior to the dorsal tooth, in the length of the tail 67–99 (81± 2.7) vs. 46–93 and in the index c 11–14.7 (12.6± 0.3) vs. 13–22. Molecular characteristics. Specimens of Tp. rorkabanarum did not yield PCR products to sequence.