Pratylenchus microstylus
Bajaj, Harish K. and Bhatti, D.S., 1984


Measurements:
 Holotype (female):  L = 402 um; a = 23; b = 6.4; b’ = 3.9; c = 18; V = 76; spear = 11 um; c’ = 2.0.
 Paratypes (11 females):  L = 388 (331-458) um; a = 22 (19-26); b = 6.0 (5.3-6.4); b’ = 3.8 (3.1-4.4); c = 18 (16-22); V = 76 (75-77); spear = 11 or 12 um; c’ = 2.1 (1.9-2.3)

Description:
 Female:  Body short and stout, assuming ‘c’ shape upon fixation.  Lateral lines four, occupying ¼ of midbody width and extending to tail tip.  Head region low, almost continuous with rest of body, with three annules.  Cephalic framework sclerotized.  Spear 11-12 um long with anteriorly flattened knobs.  Corpus constricted near its junction with oval median bulb located at 40-42 % of esophageal length.  Esophageal gland lobe two to three corresponding body widths or 28-46 um long.  Opening of dorsal esophageal gland 3 or 4 um from spear base.  Nerve ring encircles isthmus just below the median bulb.  Excretory pore 59-64 um from anterior extremity, or 3 um anterior or 7 um posterior to esophago-intestinal valve.  Hemizonid just anterior to excretory pore.  Spermatheca indistinct.  Tricolumella well developed.  Post vulval uterine sac length less than one body width at vulva.  Vulva a transverse slit located at 75-77 % of body length.  Egg in one specimen 53 x 17 um.  Intestine overlapping rectum dorsally.  Anal body diameter 7-12 um.  Tail usually conoid, striated, with rounded smooth terminus.  Tail in one specimen with a terminal process.  Phasmids near middle of tail.
 Male:  Not found.

Type Host and Locality:
 Soil and roots of Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers. from H.A.U. Campus, Hissar, India.

Type Specimens:
 Holotype mounted on slide No. 1, Pratylenchus microstylus n. sp.;  paratypes on slides Nos. 2-4.  Holotype and nine paratypes deposited with Department of Nematology, H.A.U., Hissar, India; two paratypes with National Nematode Collection, Division of Nematology, I.A.R.I., New Dehli, India.

Differential Diagnosis:
 Pratylenchus microstylus n. sp. is similar to P. mulchandi Nandkumar & Khera, 1970, from which it differs in being smaller, having a shorter spear and post vulval uterine sac, and overlapping of rectum.  L = 440-580 um; spear = 16-20 um; post vulval uterine sac more than 1.5 vulval body widths long; intestine not overlapping rectum in P. mulchandi.