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Three populations of criconematids belonging to the subfamily Macroposthoniinae, representing three species Mesocriconema kirjanovae, M. surinamense and Criconemoides amorphous were recovered from two different geographical localities in East Azarbaijan province, northwest Iran. The recovered populations were characterized morphologically. Iranian population of M. kirjanovae is characterized by 437-542 μm long females, having 86-97 retrorse body annuli with smooth to finely crenated margin, cephalic region with two, non-retrorse annuli, 56-62 μm long stylet, the anterior lip of the vulva with two projections and conical tail with acute tip. The recovered population of M. surinamense is characterized by 495-640 μm long females, having 87-94 retrorse body annuli with smooth margin, four very large and flattened submedian lobes, 74-82 μm long stylet, open vulva, its anterior lip with two small lobes, vagina straight and tail rounded with one or two terminal lobes. The Iranian population of C. amorphous is characterized by 502-697 μm long females, having 66-73 retrorse body annuli with smooth to rough margin, four pseudo-submedian lobs, labial disc elevated, 72-80 μm long stylet, vulva closed, tail bluntly conoid and its tip uni- to multi- lobed. The characteristics of the three studied species were in agreement with those of the original; and the data of other populations. The two species M. kirjanovae and M. surinamense are new to nematode fauna of Iran; and the morphological and morphometric data of the Iranian population of C. amorphous are presented for the first time.

Populations of Mesocriconema curvatum, M. kirjanovae, M. onoense, M. ornatum, M. sphaerocephala, M. surinamense, M. vadense, M. xenoplax, and Criconemoides informis from different geographical areas in the continental United States were characterized morphologically and molecularly. A new ring nematode from Washington County, Arkansas, is also described and named Mesocriconema ozarkiense n. sp., This new species is characterized by females with small flattened submedian lobes, lower than or at the same level as the labial disc, vagina straight, very well developed spermatheca without sperm, no more than one anastomoses, L=379-512 μm, V=89-93, stylet length = 49-61 μm, R=107-119, annuli with slightly crenate margins on tail portion and a simple anterior vulval lip. The molecular characterization of M. ozarkiense n. sp. using the ITS rRNA gene sequence and the phylogenesis relationship of this new species with the ring nematodes included in this study are provided.