Morphometrics and molecular analysis of the free-living nematode, Belondira bagongshanensis n. sp. (Dorylaimida, Belondiridae), from China

Abstract A new species, Belondira bagongshanensis n. sp., extracted from soil under grass in Bagongshan Forest Park, Anhui Province, China, is described and illustrated. The new species is mainly characterized by a body length 1.6–2.1 mm; cephalic framework moderately sclerotized; odontostyle robust with a distinct lumen; anterior part of pharynx with a distinct fusiform swelling, bearing distinct sclerotized valve plates and basal expansion occupying about three-fifths of the total neck length; female genital system mono-opisthodelphic and anterior branch 0.8–1.6 times the corresponding body diameter; tail short and hemispheroid; male spicules 36–49 μm long and two widely spaced ventromedian supplements. The new species is close to B. wajahati, B. golden and B. eugeniae in possessing a short tail, a robust odontostyle with a distinct aperture and a moderately sclerotized cephalic framework. New sequences of 18S rDNA and the D2–D3 region of 28S rDNA of the new species were also identified.