First Report of Two Plectus Species (Nematoda: Plectida) from Korea

The genus Plectus Bastian, 1865 represents a group of free-living freshwater nematodes belonging to the family Plectidae Örley, 1880. However, only one species has been reported thus far from Korea. Plectus aquatilis Andrássy, 1985 and Plectus cirratus Bastian, 1865 are reported for the first time from Korea, from sediments collected from the Nakdong River. Plectus aquatilis is distinguished from other Plectus species by its three longitudinal alae in the lateral field, thin and directed cephalic setae, continuous lip region (head not set-off), and rectangular shaped tail. Plectus cirratus is distinguished from other Plectus species by its large body, two longitudinal alae in the lateral field, larger stoma, and longer tail. Morphological characters and measurements of the specimens generally agree with the original descriptions of Plectus species. Here, the morphological characters (detailed morphometrics) of two species in the genus Plectus are fully redescribed and illustrated using optical microscopy. DNA barcode sequence information from the 18S rDNA gene is also provided for molecular species identification and compared with sequences from other Plectus species available on GenBank.