Resumen
- Phylogenetic analysis and ancestral state reconstruction revealed that Pratylenchidae evolved at least four times independently, but always from migratory ectoparasitic ancestors. The inclusion of the burrowing endoparasitic nematodes in a single family Pratylenchidae is classically defined by a context of similar morphological character sets that are likely the result of convergent evolution related to similar feeding modes. Morphological uniformity is especially striking within the genus Pratylenchus, and this in combination with overlapping morphometrical characters hampers species delineation within this genus. Pratylenchus araucensis n. sp., a new root-lesion nematode associated with Musa plants in Colombia, is described using a combination of morphological and molecular data. Our results fill the requirements of evolutionary species concept (a species forms a separate lineage or separate clade) and phylogenetic species concept (a lineage can be characterized by autapomorphies). We discuss the theoretical foundation and the practical application of this approach.