First report of Punctodera stonei Brzeski, 1998 (Nematoda:Heteroderidae) from Virginia, U.S.A.

Authors: KANTOR, MIHAIL - Orise Fellow; SUBBOTIN, SERGEI - California Department Of Food And Agriculture; HUSE, GREGORY - Department Of Defense; Handoo, Zafar

Submitted to: Journal of Nematology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/5/2022
Publication Date: 4/15/2022
Citation: Kantor, M.R., Subbotin, S.A., Huse, G., Handoo, Z.A. 2022. First report of Punctodera stonei Brzeski, 1998 (Nematoda:Heteroderidae) from Virginia, U.S.A.. Journal of Nematology. 54(1). https://doi.org/10.2478/jofnem-2022-0008.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jofnem-2022-0008

Interpretive Summary: Plant-parasitic nematodes are microscopic worms that cause an estimated ten billion dollars of crop losses each year in the United States and 100 billion dollars globally. One problem with cyst nematodes is that scientists do not know how many kinds exist or where they exist. Some cyst nematodes infect common grasses and cause damage to major lawn and turf grasses. During a search for the original collecting site for a plant parasitic nematode species and in cooperation with staff from Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, samples containing another nematode species were collected. Anatomical and molecular traits identified this species as Punctodera stonei. This is the first report of this cyst nematode species in the United States and only the second report in North America, other than Canada. This discovery is significant because this information will facilitate future identifications of this cyst and other nematode species by plant pathologists and plant health diagnosticians.

Technical Abstract: In August of 2021 several cysts with juveniles and eggs were discovered during a vegetation survey conducted at the Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia. Eight soil samples were collected from common grass (Festuca arundinacea L.) and processed at the Mycology and Nematology Genetic Diversity and Biology Laboratory (MNGDBL). Cysts were light to dark brown in color, oval to pear-shaped without bullae in young cysts but present in older cysts and with prominent vulval cone. The juveniles had slightly concave stylet knobs projecting sometimes anteriorly, tail tapering gradually to a narrowly rounded terminus, and hyaline tail terminus conspicuous at least twice the length of stylet. The molecular analysis included the analysis of three gene sequence fragments: D2-D3 of 28S rRNA, ITS rRNA and COI. The nematode species was identified by both morphological and molecular means as Stone’s cyst nematode, Punctodera stonei. Detection of P. stonei in Virginia represents a new record of this species in the United States and a second report after Canada in North America.