First Report of Hemicriconemoides kanayaensis (Nematoda: Criconematidae) on Tea Plantations in Iran

During a nematode survey in Iran, an abundant population of sheathoid, migratory, root-ectoparasitic nematodes was recovered from a tea, Camellia sinensis (L.), Kuntze plantation for the first time. Morphological and molecular characterization identified the Iranian population as Hemicriconemoides kanayaensis. The morphometrics of H. kanayaensis agreed with the original description. Phylogenetic relationships within Hemicriconemoides—based on ITS region, D2 to D3 expansion regions of the 28S rRNA, and the partial 18S rRNA genes along with the partial mitochondrial COI gene—confirmed the occurrence of H. kanayaensis on the tea plantation in Iran. Principal component analysis (PCA) confirmed the high intraspecific and interspecific variabilities among Hemicriconemoides species and between H. kanayaensis populations.