Longidorus cretensis n. sp (Nematoda : Longidoridae) from a vineyard infected with a foliar 'yellow mosaic' on Crete, Greece

A description is provided of Longidorus cretensis n. sp., a bisexual specie s associated with grapevines in Crete, Greece. The species is characterised by a body length of 6.3-8.7 mm, head flattened anteriorly and continuous w ith the body profile, amphids pocket-shaped and not bilobed, a posteriorly situated guide-ring, posteriorly situated oesophageal glands, and a tail bl untly rounded to hemispherical. Xiphinema index was present throughout the vineyard, but L. cretensis n. sp. occurred only in an area where the grapev ine foliage exhibited a 'yellow mosaic' disease, and in association with X. pachtaicum from the rhizosphere of an olive tree growing adjacent to the v ineyard. Nematode-transmitted virus was not recovered from weed species gro wing in the vicinity of the olive tree, or by bait-testing soil collected f rom the rhizosphere of the tree. Population densities of L. cretensis n. sp . were similar under olive and grapevine, but twice as many adult specimens were recovered from soil samples collected in the vineyard. Three quarters of L. cretensis specimens were present at 21-40 cm depth under olive, wher eas a similar proportion of the population was equally distributed under gr apevine at 21-40 cm and 41-60 cm depths.