Mitochondrial COI in phylogenetic relationships of Laimaphelenchus belgradiensis (nematoda: Aphelenchoididae)

Abstract

Nematodes of the genus Laimaphelenchus are small and tiny organisms. Some parts of their body are measured in nanometers. The identification and classification of such organisms is a complex task. Previously, the major source of classification was morphology based on anatomical characters and measurements. Nowadays, this approach is supplemented by: "nano-morphology" based on scanning electron microscopy and molecular data and phylogeny, resulting in molecular systematics. Laimaphelenchus belgradiensis was recently described species. Since cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene was successful in DNA based species diagnosis, it was chosen as a molecular marker to infer phylogeny of the newly discovered species. Phylogenetic relationships were based on Bayesian inference, the pairwise distances and the content of nitrogenous bases. The great genetic diversity was observed among close and distant species.