Soil and freshwater nematodes of the Iberian fauna: A synthesis

Abstract

The first available compilation of Iberian soil and freshwater nematodes is presented in this paper. The inventory is currently made up of 981 species belonging to 236 genera, 77 families and 12 orders. Data of the Iberian nematode fauna are compared with other components of the Iberian biota, as well as the nematode fauna of other geographical regions. Quantitative and qualitative aspects of the nematode inventory are analyzed and discussed, paying special attention to the kind of information available for each species, and concluding that practically one-third of Iberian species are deficiently characterized and need further study. Endemicity of Iberian species is also considered: 143 species, 14.6% of the total, are restricted (in their distribution) to the Iberian geography, most of them being members of the orders Dorylaimida (87) and Tylenchida (29), which are also the most diversified nematode taxa. Practical or applied interest of knowledge of the Iberian nematode fauna is commented and supported with examples and recent contributions. Finally, an alphabetical list of the species, ordered by specific name, is provided.