New Species of Free-Living Marine Nematodes of the Family Leptolaimidae from Patagonian Coast (Chubut and Santa Cruz, Argentina)

CATALINA T. PASTOR DE WARD; VIRGINIA LO RUSSO; GABRIELA VILLARES; TAMARA RUBILAR

Maceió

Congreso; 2nd International Congress of Tropical Nematology (40th ONTA and 28th SBN Annual Meetings); 2009

Organization of Nematologists of Tropical America (ONTA) and Brazilian Society of Nematologists (BSN or SBN)

This work focuses on free-living marine nematodes of the family Leptolaimidae Örley, 1880. This family comprises a group of 31 heterogeneous genera grouped into three subfamilies: Anonchinae Andrassy, 1973, Camacolaiminae Micoletzky, 1924 and Leptolaiminae Örley, 1880. Ten littoral areas have been sampled along Patagonian coast between 40º to 49ºS. In each site fifteen samples were collected, at upper, middle and lower littoral with a Plexiglas corer. The samples have been fixed in 5% formalin with Rose Bengal in the field. The Nematodes found were identified, drew and described using a microscope. Three probably new species belonging to the subfamily Leptolaiminae and the genera Leptolaimus, Antomicron and Dagda are described from Patagonian coastal areas, Chubut and Santa Cruz provinces of Argentina. Leptolaimus sp. is characterized by the number of supplements (three) with hamate distal end, as two hooks, it has been found in low intertidal level, San Julian bay (Santa Cruz). Antomicron sp. differs from the four species of the genus by having 35 alveoli on esophageal region and three precloacal supplements and has been found in low intertidal level, San Julian bay (Santa Cruz). Dagda sp. differs from the other three species of the genus by having one papillae on tail and cephalic setae shorter than cephalic diameter, it has been found from coastal groundwater in Puerto Madryn bay (Chubut).