Aglenchus agricola
(de Man, 1884) Meyl, 1961
Photo Gallery- Konza Prairie
Photo Gallery- Haughton Crater

Synonyms
    Tylenchus agricola de Man, 1884
    Anguillulina agricola (de Man, 1884) Goodey, 1932
    T. filiformis apud de Man, 1876 and 1880
    T. filiformis de Man, 1876 in Goodey, 1932
    T. paragricola Paetzold, 1958
    Aglenchus paragricola (Paetzold, 1958) Meyl, 1961
    A. fragariae Szczygiel, 1969

Taxonomic notes: (annotated from Geraert and Raksi, 1988). This species has been studied several times (cf. Andrassy,1980). They compare measurements from  European, Ukrainian, Belgian and English populations. The comparisons of all these measurements show that the European, Belgian and English populations generally agree, but the Ukrainian populations vary in a number of respects and they suggest that Sigareva and Krasnopolskij (1974) were examining a different species. Andrassy's 1980 description applies to A. agricola with the following exceptions:
    -There is usually one inner line in the lateral field but that line is weakly expressed.
    -The head width can be as small as 5.5um (height 2.5-3um).
    -The amphidial shape differs in the male and female. In the female from Winches Farm, England the oval labial plate shows two cresent-like amphidial apertures. In the male from the same locality the apertures are laterally elongated.
    -The two stylet parts are not completely equal, the anterior part occupying 41-46% of the total stylet length.
    -The spermatheca can be as small as 9um. Andrassy (1980) reported a maximum of 18um, Geraert and Raski report a maximum of 17um.
    -The tail length reported by Andrassy (1980) (134-190um) included the Californian population with a very long tail. A similar long-tailed population has been described as A. muktii.
    -Males are less common. In Belgian populations there are generally about twice as many females as males.
    -The buras in males can be as long as 40um. Andrassy reported 28-33um.
    -The male tail can be as long as 169um. Andrassy reported 140-155um.
    -the outgrowth of the cloacal lip forming a protruding tube has not been described by Andrassy, but is more or less present in his drawings.

Biotic notes: According to Geraert, 1991 Aglenchus agricola is cosmopolitan. Very common and widespread in Europe, it feeds on grasses and clover (Bongers, 1988); it is not only found in arable soil and meadows but in all kinds of noncultivated soils, in mountainous regions, and even in freshwater. It occured in 60 of 85 samples from arable soil in the neighborhood of Ghent.

DNA Sequences Obtained
Specimen: Collected:
KonzaI BD-25 Konza Prairie, First survey
KonzaVII EE-88 Konza Prairie, First survey