Tokorhabditis tauri n. sp. and T. atripennis n. sp. (Rhabditida: Rhabditidae), isolated from Onthophagus dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) from the Eastern USA and Japan

Abstract

Two new species of Tokorhabditis, T. tauri n. sp. and T. atripennis n. sp., which were isolated from multiple Onthophagus species in North America and from O. atripennis in Japan, respectively, are described. The new species are each diagnosed by characters of the male tail and genitalia, in addition to molecular barcode differences that were previously reported. The description of T. tauri n. sp. expands the suite of known nematode associates of O. taurus, promoting ecological studies using a beetle that is an experimental model for insect-nematode-microbiota interactions in a semi-natural setting. Furthermore, our description of a third Tokorhabditis species, T. atripennis n. sp., sets up a comparative model for such ecological interactions, as well as other phenomena as previously described for T. tufae, including maternal care through obligate vivipary, the evolution of reproductive mode, and extremophilic living.