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Molecular Characterization of Meloidogyne hispanica (Nematoda, Meloidogynidae) by Phylogenetic Analysis of Genes Within the rDNA in Meloidogyne spp.

In the past, the distribution of Meloidogyne hispanica, the Seville root-knot nematode, appeared to be restricted to the southern part of Spain and Prunus spp.; however, its distribution has been confirmed to be worldwide because it occurs in all continents (Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and North, Central, and South America). Differentiation of M. hispanica from other Meloidogyne spp., mainly M. arenaria, can be very difficult using morphological and biological traits data. These species are quite similar and can be regularly confused in inaccurate taxonomic comparisons. In this study, species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and phylogenetic analysis of sequences from three ribosomal (r)DNA regions (18S, internal transcribed spacer [ITS]1-5.8S-ITS2, and D2-D3 of 28S) were used to characterize three M. hispanica isolates from different geographical origins (Brazil, Portugal, and Spain). Molecular analyses showed identical sequences for all three isolates for the three rDNA regions. Maximum parsimony analysis of the three rDNA regions and the species-specific PCR demonstrated and supported the differentiation of M. hispanica from M. incognita, M. javanica, and M. arenaria and from all described root-knot nematode species.