Description of a new species of the genus Talanema Andrássy, 1991 (Nematoda: Qudsianematidae) with additional data on three known species of the genus from Iran.

In a survey on soil nematode fauna of northwest and north of Iran, one undescribed and three known members of the genus Talanema Andrássy, 1991 were collected. The nematodes were identified based on morphological and morphometrical characters. Talanema saccatum sp. n. collected from soil around roots of almond trees in Sufiyan, East Azarbaijan province, is characterized by its 1.20–1.53 mm long body, lip region nearly angular, more than twice of its height, 14.0–17.0 μm wide, odontostyle 18.0–20.0 μm or 1.1–1.5 times the lip region diam., odontophore 26.0–29.0 μm long, vulva transverse slit at 53.0–56.0% of body length, prerectum 1.4–2.4, rectum 1.0–1.2 anal body diam. Long, tail 24.0–31.0 μm (c = 42.0–54.0 and c′ = 0.8–1.0), with digitate terminus and rounded tip, ventrally nearly straight, with numerous saccate bodies mostly in ventral side and sometimes on both sides. Herein, Talenema avolai Vinciguerra and Clausi, 1994, Talanema pararapax (Ahmad and Jairajpuri, 1982) Andrássy, 1991 and Talanema sphinctum (Mohilal and Dhanachand, 2001) Imran et al., 2021 are also reported as new records of this genus from the country. An updated identification key for all species is also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]