Zeldia spannata Waceke, Bumbarger, Mundo-Ocampo, Subbotin & Baldwin, 2005

Mehdizadeh, Sara & Shokoohi, Ebrahim, 2013, The genera Nothacrobeles Allen & Noffsinger, 1971 and Zeldia Thorne, 1937 (Nematoda: Rhabditida: Cephalobidae) from southern Iran, with description of N. abolafiai sp. n., Zootaxa 3637 (3), pp. 325-340 : 332-338

Zeldia spannata Waceke, Bumbarger, Mundo-Ocampo, Subbotin & Baldwin, 2005

( Figs 3 & 4 )

Measurements. See Table 2 .

Description. Material from Kerman, province of Kerman (5ƤƤ):

Female: Body 0.50–0.69 mm long. Habitus curved ventrad after fixation. Cuticle annulated, lacking punctation. Annuli 2.8–3.8 Μm wide. Lateral field with five longitudinal incisures, occupying 16–19% of midbody diameter, fading out to tail terminus. Lips offset with the neck, bearing six labial and four cephalic papillae and two small, oval amphid openings. Lips asymmetrical. Primary axils deep, U-shaped. Secondary axils V-shaped, bearing four tines on each side. Three labial probolae 9–11 μm high, bifurcated at about half of their length, lacking tines. Prongs curved each other with rounded terminus, spannate or snake tongue-like. Stoma cephaloboid. Cheilostom with well-developed oval rhabdia. Gymnostom narrower than cheilostom, and as wide as stegostom. Pharyngeal corpus cylindrical, 2.7–3.6 times isthmus length. Pharyngeal corpus-isthmus junction not swollen. Basal bulb ovoid to spheroid, 15–17 µm wide and 23–25 µm long. Cardia conoid, surrounded by intestinal tissue. Nerve ring at 62–79% of neck length, at junction of corpus and isthmus, 30–31 annuli from anterior end. Excretory pore at 68– 87% of neck length, at isthmus level, or 33–34 annuli from anterior end. Deirid at 86–99% of neck length, or 40–41 annuli from anterior end. Intestine without distinct specializations. Reproductive system monodelphic-prodelphic, dextral. Ovary without flexures posterior to vulva. Oviduct short. Spermatheca 1.1–1.4 times as long as corresponding body diameter. Uterus two times as long as the corresponding body diameter. Postuterine sac 0.9– 1.2 times the corresponding body diameter long. Vagina extending inwards 0.3–0.5 times the corresponding body diameter. Rectum 1.0–1.1 times anal body diameter long. Tail conical with rounded terminus, having 14–15 ventral annuli. Phasmid at 32–48% of tail length.

Male: Body “J” shaped after fixation. Reproductive system monorchic, testis reflexed dorsad anteriorly. Tail conical, distally curved ventrad. Three pairs of precloacal genital papillae. Five pairs of caudal genital papillae are present along the tail comprising: one ventral pair, one lateral pair, one dorsal pair, and two pairs near tail terminus. Spicules curved ventrally: manubrium almost straight and conoid, calamus with hump, and lamina ventrally curved. Gubernaculum well developed, 14–17 Μm long or about 50% of the spicule length.

11 ƏƏ 0.45–0.59 15.3–21.1 3.5–4.4 9.3–11.8 2.2–2.8 -??/-/+

……continued on the next page Ƥ 4? 78–90?? Hungry Andrássy, 2005 3 4? 68–90??

N. sohlenii 2 Ƥ 3 73–78 46–48 29–46 29–32 Tunisia Böstrom & Holovachov, 2011

2 33 3 70–75 42–47 24 15–16

N. spatulatus 15 Ƥ 3 59– 72 20–23 10–15 10–13 United States De Ley et al. 1999a

N. subtilis 39 Ƥ 4 52–85* 49*? 11–30 Australia Allen & Noffsinger, 1971 3 4 62 55 34 21 United States Shahina &áá De Ley, 1997

N. triniglarus 10 Ƥ 4 49–62 48–55 41–47 44–83 United States De Ley et al. 1999a 11 33 4 44–68 46–60 32–37 19–24

Measured from the illustrations or other measurements; ** + bearing, - lacking.

Locality and habitat. The species was collected in Gharyatolarab (province of Kerman, Iran; N: 29º54'23.6"; E: 056º58'24.2"; date of sampling: 2012), associated with Haloxylon persicum Bunge ex Boiss. & Buhse. Remarks. The specimens examined fit well with the original description of the species provided by Waceke et al. (2005). However, they differ in body length (509–691 vs 629–857 µm in females), longer labial probolae (9–11 vs 7–9 µm), shorter postuterine sac (26–35 vs 42–65 µm), and shorter spermatheca (32–39 vs 20–48 µm). The species is reported for the first time from Iran, while the male is reported for the first time for the species, being this the third species of the genus, together Z. punctata and Z. solata Allen & Noffsinger, 1972 , with male known, having all of them similar morphology in general.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Zeldia spannata Waceke, Bumbarger, Mundo-Ocampo, Subbotin and Baldwin, 2005. A: Neck. B, C: Anterior end. D, E: Lip region (surface view). F: Entire male. G: Lateral field. H: Female reproductive system. I: Entire female. J: Male posterior end. K, L: Female posterior end.

FIGURE 4. Zeldia spannata Waceke, Bumbarger, Mundo-Ocampo, Subbotin and Baldwin, 2005 (LM, female). A: Neck. B, C: Lip region (I: primary axil, II: secondary axil, 1 – 4: labial tines). D: Lateral field (arrow indicates deirid). E: Posterior end (arrow indicates phasmid).