Xiphinema index Thorne and Allen (1950)

(Fig. 6 A–E; Tables 3, 4)

Distribution

Iran, East-Azarbaijan province, Sufiyan, Roodghat area (GPS coordinates: N 38 o 19′ 59′′ E 46 o 07′ 00′′, altitude 1582 m a.s.l.), in the rhizosphere of apple (Malus domestica L.) variety Red delicious .

Remarks

Xiphinema index is a soil dweller, its major economic host is grapevine and acts as vector of Grapevine Fanleaf Virus (GFLV), very well known, worldwide spread species, recorded from many countries of Africa, America, Australia, Asia and Europe. In Iran, this species was first observed by Mojtahedi et al. (1980) in cultivated soils and in natural woodland as well and then reported from different parts of Iran. Comparison of our population sequence with the GenBank database showed that Iranian X. index (MH 879782) has 99% identity with other populations of the species. Phylogenetic analysis placed our population with other populations of X. index in a clade with 0.87 PP values. Males were not found but a few females contain sperm cells in their ovejector and pars dilatata oviductus. This Iranian population of females of X. index is within the morphometrical ranges recorded for the species (for comparative purposes, see Thorne and Allen, 1950; Mojtahedi et al., 1980; Lamberti et al., 1987; Barsi and Lamberti, 2000a; Jawhar et al., 2006; Gutiérrez-Gutiérrez et al., 2011; Meza et al., 2012).