First report of four dagger nematode species of the genus Xiphinema (Nematoda: Longidoridae) from banana in Syria using an integrative approach

Abstract

A nematological survey was conducted between 2021 and 2022 in banana felds distributed in two major banana-producing regions in the western coast of Syria. As a result, six populations of Xiphin‑ ema spp. identifed as X. difusum, X. pachtaicum, X. simile, X. vuittenezi and X. zagrosense were isolated from the rhizosphere of banana plants (Musa sp.) and characterized using morphological and molecular data based on two rRNA genes (D2–D3 expansion segments of the 28S, and ITS fragments) and partial region of the cytochrome oxidase I gene (COI mtDNA) sequences. Moreover, the molecular identifcation of the endosymbionts of these populations was also performed using the complete 16S rDNA gene. The phylogenetic relationships of the recovered species of nematodes and respective endosymbionts were reconstructed. Candidatus Xiphinematobacter sp. (OR196969; OR196971) and Ca. Xiphinematobacter sp. (OR196970) were detected in X. difusum and X. simile, respectively, and clustered together with other Ca. Xiphinematobacter sp.A and sp.I respectively. To our knowledge, this is the frst report of X. difusum, X. simile, X. vuittenezi and X. zagrosense parasitizing banana in Syria, extending the geographical distribution of these species within the Mediterranean Basin