Pratylenchus agilis
Thorne and Malek, 1968
Photo Gallery- Konza Prairie

 L = 0.5 mm; a = 24; b = 6.1; c = 18; V = 76

Lateral field marked by 4 incisures. Lip region with two annules, sometimes very indistinct. Striae coarse, 1.7u at midbody.  Cephalic framework massive.Spear 16u-18u long with strong knobs slightly cupped and rounded posteriorly. Vulva elevated. Uterine branch without spermatheca.  Ovary outstretched, with oocytes in single file. Posterior uterine branch pouch-like. Vulva-anus distance about 3 times tail length. Tailuniformly tapering to rounded terminus. Phasmids slightly anterior to middle of tail.
     Pratylenchus agilis is most closely related to P. scribneri from which it differs in coarser striae, hemispheroid spear knobs and uniformly tapering tail. Its chief characteristic is the habit of throwing itself into a coil and moving violently when touched, entirely unlike the torpid actions of other members of the genus.

Habitat:  Prairie sod just west of White Earth River on Highway 2, North Dakota and east of Glendive, Montana

(Thorne and Malek, 1968 description)