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Nematode Morphology and Classification

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Nematology in South Africa: A View from the 21st Century

Abstract

The morphological characters most useful in the classification and identification of terrestrial nematodes, focusing in particular on the plant-parasitic groups, are discussed. These include the cuticle, alimentary canal and an array of mostly sensory cuticular organs that have many diagnostic features useful to taxonomists. One such feature is the stylet, which is found in plant-parasitic and fungal-feeding species, and in some predators. The stylet is used to pierce plant cell walls, fungal hyphae or small animals. The size and shape of the stylet are related to feeding habit and therefore are also useful for ecologists when assigning trophic groups. The portion of the alimentary canal between the stoma and the intestine is known as the oesophagus (or pharynx) and is of major diagnostic value in many nematode groups. Also, descriptions are given of the numerous features within the reproductive systems of male and female nematodes that are of taxonomic value. The chapter concludes with a list of all the plant-parasitic nematode genera reported from South Africa plus a list of additional new and known species reported from South Africa since a previous report was published in 1996 in the book by Kleynhans et al. titled Plant nematodes in South Africa.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nematology Unit, Biosystematics Division, Agricultural Research Council–Plant Protection Research Institute, Private Bag X134, Queenswood, 0121, South Africa

    Esther van den Berg, Mariette Marais & Antoinette Swart

Authors
  1. Esther van den Berg
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  2. Mariette Marais
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  3. Antoinette Swart
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mariette Marais .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. North-West University Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, Potchefstroom, South Africa

    Hendrika Fourie

  2. Durban, South Africa

    Vaughan W. Spaull

  3. Robin Jones Nematological Services, Murrayfield, Pretoria, South Africa

    Robin K. Jones

  4. Agricultural Research Council-Institute for Tropical and Subtropical Crops, Mbombela, South Africa

    Mieke S. Daneel

  5. Laboratory of Tropical Crop Improvement Department of Biosystems, University of Leuven, Heverlee, Belgium

    Dirk De Waele

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van den Berg, E., Marais, M., Swart, A. (2017). Nematode Morphology and Classification. In: Fourie, H., Spaull, V., Jones, R., Daneel, M., De Waele, D. (eds) Nematology in South Africa: A View from the 21st Century. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44210-5_3

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