New species of free-living marine nematodes from the Yellow Sea, China

Abstract

Three new species of free-living marine nematodes: Oncholaimus multisetosus sp. nov., Sabatieria stenocephalus sp. nov. and Setosabatieria coomansi sp. nov. from the Yellow Sea, China are described and illustrated. The male of Oncholaimus multisetosus sp. nov. is characterized by a tail sharply constricted at the junction of the conical and cylindrical sections; two circles of 12–15 pairs of circumcloacal setae each. In the female, the conical section of the tail gradually tapers in a cylindrical section. Sabatieria stenocephalus sp. nov. is characterized by the pronounced sharp-pointed anterior body, sclerotized tooth-like front edge of buccal cavity and 15 tubular-shaped precloacal supplements with the posterior five more closely spaced. Setosabatieriacoomansi sp. nov. can be separated from the other species of the genus by the number (6–8) of cervical setae per file, the number of precloacal supplements (15) and the absence of central strips in spicules and leaf-like extensions of the cuticle lateral to the cloaca. Types are deposited in the College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China.