Page 18 - Volume 1, Issue 2, July 2008

Anagnou-Veroniki et al. 70
nematodes may induce severe indirect
damage to economically important plant
species such as potato, tobacco, bulbous
and ornamental plants, by transmission of
tobraviruses (Taylor & Brown, 1997).
The first trichodorid reported from
Greece was T. similis, a vector of Tobacco
rattle virus (TRV), which was found in 1996
in a tobacco plantation in Northern Greece
(Brown, et al., 1996). Later, during a com-
prehensive study on the distribution of
the species in Greece, 14 trichodorid pop-
ulations were recovered, among which, P.
minor, P. teres and T. sparsus were reported
for the first time from Greece (Karanastasi
et al., 2006a, b).
Besides the above, Roca (1998) iso-
lated a new species in the area of Kato
Souli, Marathon, Attica, which he named
Trichodorus variabilis but was not consid-
ered an important pest.
Heterodera schachtii was first record-
ed from sugar beet in Greece (Kyrou, 1993)
and H. avenae from cereals (Vlachopoulos,
1994), but although the species are con-
sidered important pests, no more infor-
mation is available in national level.
Criconemoides xenoplax (Raski, 1952)
Loof & De Grisse, 1989 of the family Cri-
conematidae was initially extracted from
the rhizosphere of grapevines in Samos
and Crete but was not reported at that
time. A few years later, the same species
was also collected from the rhizosphere
of dead Viburnum sp. plants from the back
yard of a house in Kifissia, Attica, Greece,
but it was not confirmed whether the
nematodes or a fungus found associated
with the plants was the primary cause of
death (Karanastasi et al., 2008).
Other species. A few other plant par-
asitic nematode species have occasional-
ly been reported from Greece, but these
do not have a serious economic impact.
These are: Helicotylenchus pseudorobustus
found by Vovlas et al. in 1993 and one year
later H. multicinctus on banana (Musa AAA
Cavendish subgroup: Dwarf Cavendish) in
Crete (Vovlas et al., 1994). Hemicycliophora
hellenica Vovlas, 2000, a new species was
found in Filippias, Epirus, Greece, inhabit-
ing the roots of Arundo donax (giant reed)
and some unidentified aquatic species,
along the line of irrigation canals (Vovlas,
2000); Hoplotylus femina in Tirnavos, Laris-
sa (Vlachopoulos, 1991); Pratylenchus good-
eyi on banana (Musa AAA Cavendish sub-
group: Dwarf Cavendish) in Crete (Vovlas et
al., 1994); P. penetrans on artichoke (Greco
et al., 2005); Rotylenchulus macrodoratus
found widespread in vineyards (cv. Sultani-
na) in Crete, causing histological damage
to the root cells, but no substantial effects
on yield (Vovlas & Vlachopoulos, 1991); Ro-
tylenchus graecus n. sp. (Nematoda: Hop-
lolaimidae) in Filippias, Epirus, Greece, in-
habiting the roots of Hedera helix (ivy) and
A. donax along the line of irrigation canals
Table 3 (continued)
Nematodes species Host Region Reference
Rotylenchulus macrodoratus grapevine
(cv. Sultanina)
Crete Vovlas & Vlachopoulos, 1991
Trichodorus similis tobacco N. Greece Brown et al., 1996
Trichodorus sparsus Patra Karanastasi et al., 2006b
Tylenchus davainei citrus, olive
olive,
English walnut,
chestnut, apricot,
almond, peach
Korinthos,
Messolongi,
Larissa
Vlachopoulos, 1991