Morphological and molecular features of Punctodera stonei Brzeski, 1998 (Nematoda: Heteroderidae) - species associated with roots of grasses

This article provides morphological and molecular characteristics of Punctodera storiei Brzeski, 1998. Comparison of partial sequences of 18S and 28S rDNA genes from P. stonei sampled in Poland and Punctodera sp. from Canada showed their 100% similarity. This is the first report on the occurrence of P. stonei outside of Europe. We provide data on morphology of males and 2nd stage juveniles of this species and an identification key to males of the genus Punctodera Mulvey et Stone, 1976. Moreover, the paper presents evolutionary relationships of P. stonei within the family Heteroderidae.