MORPHOLOGICAL AND MOLECULAR DESCRIPTION FOR A NEW RECORD OF NEMATODE ACROBELOIDES VARIUS KIM, KIM & PARK, 2017 (RHABDITIDA, CEPHALOBIDAE) FROM IRAQ

Zahraa Yahia Kadhim; Harith Saeed Al-Warid; Jawad B. Al-Zaidawi

doi:10.26842/binhm.7.2025.18.4.0777

Authors

Zahraa Yahia Kadhim Research & Development Directorate, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Baghdad, Iraq
Harith Saeed Al-Warid Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq.
Jawad B. Al-Zaidawi Authority of Scientific Research, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Baghdad, Iraq

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26842/binhm.7.2025.18.4.0777

Keywords:

Bacterial feeders’ nematode, Iraq, Morphometric, Soil, 18S rRNA gene.

Abstract

This study aimed to identify and describe one of the bacterial feeder nematode Acrobeloides varius Kim, Kim and Park, 2017 (Rhabditida, Cephalobidae), which was isolated from soil samples that were collected from Baghdad, central of Iraq, and was classified using both morphological and molecular criteria. All specimens of A. varius were cultured, identified and described using morphometric criteria. Selected specimens (Zah. IRQ3 OR994579.1 isolate) of this species were characterized by having the body length of the male ranging from (184.94 – 221.72 μm), the body length of the female ranging (507.38 – 521.92 μm) and the body length of the juvenile ranging from (355.53 – 490.35 μm). Selected specimens of this species were molecularly characterized using the partial 18S rRNA gene sequences. The 18S-rRNA sequence of Zah. IRQ3 OR994579.1 isolate had a range of (100%) sequence homology with the 18S rRNA sequence of A. varius available in the NCBI database. A phylogenetic tree was created to separate this species from closely related genera and species. A. varius Zah. IRQ3 OR994579.1 isolate represents the first record of this species in Iraq.