First report of Mesocriconema xenoplax (Nematoda: Criconematidae) in Greece and first record of Viburnum sp. as a possible host for this ring nematode

In 2005, root and soil samples were collected from the rhizosphere of Viburnum sp. plants in the yard of a house in Kifissia, Attica, Greece. The plants showed symptoms of yellowing and declining and all were dead within, approximately, one year. The roots were infected with the fungus Rosellinia necatrix. Several specimens of a ring nematode were recovered from soil and identified as Mesocriconema xenoplax based on morphological and morphometrical analysis of females. The nematode had been previously found on grapevines in Samos and Crete islands. This is the first report of M. xenoplax in Greece and the first record of Viburnum sp. as a host for this ring nematode. Additional information regarding distribution of this nematode in Greece is needed.