''Dolichodorus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

nematode The nematodes ( or ; ; ), roundworms or eelworms constitute the phylum Nematoda. Species in the phylum inhabit a broad range of environments. Most species are free-living, feeding on microorganisms, but many are parasitic. Parasitic worms (h ...

s known commonly as awl nematodes.Crow, W. T. and A. S. Brammer
Awl nematodes, ''Dolichodorus'' spp.
EENY-241. University of Florida IFAS. 2001.
Nemaplex. University of California, Davis. They are distributed worldwide. They are

ectoparasites Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The en ...

plant roots In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the surfa ...

, and some are

pests PESTS was an anonymous American activist group formed in 1986 to critique racism, tokenism, and exclusion in the art world. PESTS produced newsletters, posters, and other print material highlighting examples of discrimination in gallery represent ...

of agricultural crops.

Description

These are among the largest plant-parasitic nematodes, reaching in length. They are slender and cylindrical in shape with annular rings along their bodies. They have long, strong stylets. There are male and female individuals in each species, and they

reproduce sexually Sexual reproduction is a type of reproduction that involves a complex Biological life cycle, life cycle in which a gamete (haploid reproductive cells, such as a sperm or egg cell) with a single set of chromosomes combines with another gamete to p ...

. The male has winglike folds surrounding its

cloaca A cloaca ( ), : cloacae ( or ), or vent, is the rear orifice that serves as the only opening for the digestive (rectum), reproductive, and urinary tracts (if present) of many vertebrate animals. All amphibians, reptiles, birds, cartilagin ...

. Its sex organs include a pair of flanged spicules and a protruding

gubernaculum The paired gubernacula (from Ancient Greek κυβερνάω = pilot, steer), also called the caudal genital ligament, are embryonic structures which begin as undifferentiated mesenchyme attaching to the caudal end of the gonads (testicles in m ...

to guide them during mating. The female has a rounded or hemispherical tail with a spike-shaped tip.

Biology

Awl nematodes generally occur in moist and wet soils. In agricultural habitat they are common around

irrigation Irrigation (also referred to as watering of plants) is the practice of applying controlled amounts of water to land to help grow crops, landscape plants, and lawns. Irrigation has been a key aspect of agriculture for over 5,000 years and has bee ...

ditches and ponds. Adults and juveniles feed on plant roots. Damage is apparent when the root tips turn brownish yellow and develop

lesion A lesion is any damage or abnormal change in the tissue of an organism, usually caused by injury or diseases. The term ''Lesion'' is derived from the Latin meaning "injury". Lesions may occur in both plants and animals. Types There is no de ...

s. The root tips die, the roots become coarse and curved, and the root system looks "stubby". A plant is stunted as its roots are destroyed. The genus can be found on many

host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County * Host Island, in the Wilhelm Archipelago, Antarctica People * ...

plant taxa. ''D. heterocephalus'' has been noted on a variety of crop plants, including

sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...

beans A bean is the seed of some plants in the legume family (Fabaceae) used as a vegetable for human consumption or animal feed. The seeds are often preserved through drying (a ''pulse''), but fresh beans are also sold. Dried beans are tradition ...

tomato The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible Berry (botany), berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originate ...

blueberry Blueberries are a widely distributed and widespread group of perennial flowering plants with blue or purple berries. They are classified in the section ''Cyanococcus'' with the genus ''Vaccinium''. Commercial blueberries—both wild (lowbush) ...

, and

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

. ''D. kishansinghi'' is known from

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree '' Mangifera indica''. It originated from the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South and Southeast As ...

. ''D. mediterraneus'' is known from

cork oak ''Quercus suber'', commonly called the cork oak, is a medium-sized, evergreen oak tree in the section Quercus sect. Cerris, ''Quercus'' sect. ''Cerris''. It is the primary source of cork (material), cork for wine bottle stoppers and other uses, ...

. ''D. silvestris'' is found on

white pine ''Pinus'', the pines, is a genus of approximately 111 extant tree and shrub species. The genus is currently split into two subgenera: subgenus ''Pinus'' (hard pines), and subgenus ''Strobus'' (soft pines). Each of the subgenera have been further ...

. Several species occur on the

coconut palm The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...

. They are found in the roots of

grass Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and spe ...

es such as bromegrasses, bluegrasses, Manila grass, St. Augustine grass,

bermudagrass ''Cynodon dactylon'', commonly known as Bermuda grass, also known as couch grass in Australia and New Zealand, is a grass found worldwide. It is native to Europe, Africa, Australia and much of Asia. It has been introduced to the Americas. Contra ...

, and centipedegrass.

Diversity

There are approximately 15 species. Species include:Dolichodoridae.
Biology Catalog. Department of Entomology. Texas A&M University. *'' Dolichodorus aestuarius'' *'' Dolichodorus aquaticus'' *'' Dolichodorus cobbi'' *'' Dolichodorus grandaspicatus'' *''

Dolichodorus heterocephalus ''Dolichodorus heterocephalus'' is a plant pathogenic nematode. References External links Tylenchida Agricultural pest nematodes Nematodes described in 1914 {{plant-disease-stub ...

'' *'' Dolichodorus kishansinghi'' *'' Dolichodorus longicaudatus'' *'' Dolichodorus marylandicus'' *'' Dolichodorus minor'' *'' Dolichodorus miradvulvus'' *'' Dolichodorus nigeriens'' *'' Dolichodorus pellegrini'' *'' Dolichodorus profundus'' *'' Dolichodorus pulvinus'' *'' Dolichodorus silvestris'' *'' Dolichodorus similis''

References

External links

Genus ''Dolichodorus''.
Nematology. University of Nebraska, Lincoln. {{Taxonbar, from=Q17143697 Tylenchida Secernentea genera