Panagrellus

Kumar, Nitesh & Chaubey, Ashok Kumar, 2023, Redescription and molecular characterization of Panagrellus ceylonensis (Nematoda, Rhabditida, Panagrolaimidae) from India, Zootaxa 5383 (4), pp. 491-513 : 507

Bionomics and global distribution of Panagrellus species

In natural ecosystems, bacterial-feeding nematodes play a vital role in many ecological processes, such as nutrient cycling and decomposition processes, thereby affecting primary production indirectly. Organic matter provides an energy source and enhances bacterial growth, as a result of which bacteria release inorganic nitrogen and other essential nutrients. Then, these nutrients can be utilized to increase bacterial biomass. These bacterial communities attract other microorganisms and act as food sources for them. However, several bacterial populations are responsible to cause bacterial disease among trees (e.g., slime flux or wetwood canker) and fruits (e.g., browning & rotting).Thus, the resulting bacterial exudate and fermented sap attract many insects like flies, bees, wasps, butterflies, beetles, ants, and their larval forms. Nematodes of the Panagrellus genus are bacterial feeder. Most of the Panagrellus species are discovered from bacterial rich environments such as from slime flux or wetwood canker and pulp of trees, rotting apples and pears, pitchers of pitcher plant, soil, compost pile, and fermenting organic matter etc., but these nematodes are also associated with insects as facultative parasites. They can enter the insect’s body and establish a colony there. Other than this, they also show the phoretic association with insects for transportation and get the opportunity to reach food sources at a greater distance than they would be able to reach on their own. In the present study, P. ceylonensis nematodes were obtained from a live wet season form of oriental common evening brown butterfly M. leda . The valid species of Panagrellus genus reported from various habitats all over the world are presented in Table 4 , Figure 6 .

Figures

FIGURE 6. Global distribution of Panagrellus species.