Bursaphelenchus
| Bursaphelenchus | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Bursaphelenchus xylophilus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Nematoda |
| Class: | Secernentea |
| Subclass: | Tylenchia |
| Order: | Aphelenchida |
| Superfamily: | Aphelenchoidoidea |
| Family: | Parasitaphelenchidae |
| Subfamily: | Bursaphelenchinae |
| Genus: |
Bursaphelenchus Fuchs, 1937 |
| Species | |
|
About 70-90, see text |
|
About 70-90, see text
Bursaphelenchus is a genus of nematodes (roundworms) in the order Aphelenchida. Most are obligate mycophages, but some feed on wood, with two species, the red ring nematode (B. cocophilus) and the pine wood nematode (B. xylophilus), economically significant as pests of coconut palms and of pine trees, respectively. Given that Bursaphelenchus species are usually hard to distinguish from one another except by trained helminthologists with access to microscopes or DNA sequence analysis, the entire genus is put under quarantine in some countries. Where this is not the case however, these nematodes are becoming established as model organisms for nematode developmental biology, ecology and genetics.
As of 2009, there are about 70 to 90 species in the genus. New taxa are described frequently.
Bursaphelenchus contains a single described hermaphroditic species, okinawaensis, and over 100 described gonochoristic species. They inhabit soil or decaying wood, feeding on the wood itself or fungal hyphae growing in it, such as those of grey mould (Botrytis cinerea). They are sometimes beneficial when they reduce the fungal load inside the wood, but when they consume the plant tissue they are known to cause the death of living trees.
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Wikipedia