Diagnosis: Merliniinae. Small to medium-sized (0.5 - 1.5 mm),
arcuate to curved when relaxed. Body cuticle marked by longitudinal
striae or grooves. Deirids absent. Cephalic region offset,
with six radial grooves and moderate sclerotization; labial disc
inconspicuous, four-lobed. Median bulb near middle of oesophagus
or more anterior. Vulva in a cavity or depression, with epiptygma.
Vagina vera squarish in lateral view. Female tail conoid to subcylindrical
with rounded tip; terminal tail cuticle not abnormally thickened;
phasmids conspicuous. Spicules rather slender; gubernaculum
crescent-shaped in lateral view.
Type species: Scutylenchus mamillatus (Tobar-Jimenez,
1966) Jairajpuri, 1971