LAUSR

A new nematode species was recovered from the syconia of Ficus semicordata from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Yunnan Province, China. It is described herein as Martininema semicordatae n. sp. and is characterised by having the combined characters of a long post-vulval uterine sac, excretory pore located at nerve ring level, amoeboid sperm, three pairs of subventral papillae on the male tail, rounded male tail tip with mucron, absence of gubernaculum (= apophysis), and a recurved, rose-thorn-shaped spicule lacking a terminal cucullus. Martininema semicordatae n. sp. differs from other sequenced species by differences in the partial small subunit (SSU) rRNA gene and D2-D3 expansion segments of the large subunit (LSU) rRNA gene. Phylogenetic analysis with LSU D2-D3 expansion segment sequences suggested that M. semicordatae n. sp. is clustered in a highly supported monophyletic clade with M. guangzhouense, M. fistulosus and M. baculum, and shares a common ancestor with these three species.