Micoletzkyia longispicula Huang & Cheng, 2011

Ürkmez, Derya & Sezgin, Murat, 2016, Micoletzkyia longispicula Huang & Cheng, 2011 (Nematoda: Phanodermatidae) in Turkey: First record outside the type locality, Ecologica Montenegrina 5, pp. 66-69 : 68-69

Micoletzkyia longispicula Huang & Cheng, 2011

( Figures 2 & 3 )

Material examined. 1 male, Turkey, Mersin Bay , coordinates 36.113°N, 33.562°S, December 2015. Slide number SNUFF /NEM-MC16P1 .

Measurements. Total body length = 12.6 mm, Maximum body diameter = 132 µm, Pharynx = 698 µm, Distance from anterior to nerve ring = 328 µm, Anal body diameter (abd) = 65.5 µm, Spicule length along the arc= 562 µm (6.8 abd), Precloacal supplement = 45 µm, Distance between supplement and spicule = 149.6 µm, Tail length = 434 µm (6.6 abd, filiform part 70% of total tail length). De Man ratios: a = 95.5, b = 18.05, c = 29, c’ = 6.6

Remarks. The total body length of this specimen is larger from the holotype and this is reflected in De Man ratios a, b, and c which may be attributed to the different geographical location of the species or the maturity stage. However, the following characters of the specimen are very similar to the original description: length of pharynx, location of nerve ring, De Man ratio c’, spicule shape and its length in terms of anal body diameter (6.8 abd), the gubernaculum without apophysis, the shape and length of the precloacal supplement and its distance to cloaca (2.3 abd), tail shape and length.

Micoletzkyia longispicula is identified from the soft bottom macrobenthos samples collected on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. The species is characterized by its long spicule, gubernaculum without apophysis and a proximally cephalated precloacal supplement. This represents the first report of the species out of its type locality (Yellow Sea, China) from where only a single male specimen was found and described ( Huang and Cheng, 2011). Reports of free-living marine nematodes are limited in Turkey and recent studies are mainly from the Black Sea coast ( Ürkmez et al. 2015; Ürkmez & Brennan 2013a, b; Ürkmez et al. 2011). This record also stands for the first report of the genus from the coasts of Turkey.

Figures

Figure 2. Micoletzkyia longispicula, DIC images A. Lateral view of male anterior end B. Precloacal supplement C. Lateral view of cloacal region showing gubernaculum and precloacal supplement D. Anterior part of spicule. Scale bars: A. 20 µm, B. 10 µm, C and D. 100 µm.

Figure 3. Micoletzkyia longispicula A. Posterior region showing the whole spicule and the filiform part of the tail B. Gubernaculum (DIC). Scale bars: A. 200 µm, B. 20 µm.