Description of Hexamermis philaeni n. sp. (Enoplea: Mermithidae), a parasitoid of the meadow spittlebug Philaenus spumarius (Hemiptera: Aphrophoridae) in Italy

Anita Nencioni; Gaia Bigiotti; Elisabetta Gargani; Ilaria Cutino; Agostino Strangi; Patrizia Sacchetti; José Matías Rusconi

doi:10.2478/jofnem-2026-0029

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Description of Hexamermis philaeni n. sp. (Enoplea: Mermithidae), a parasitoid of the meadow spittlebug Philaenus spumarius (Hemiptera: Aphrophoridae) in Italy

Journal of Nematology

Volume 58 (2026): Issue 1 (February 2026)

By: Anita Nencioni, Gaia Bigiotti, Elisabetta Gargani, Ilaria Cutino, Agostino Strangi, Patrizia Sacchetti and José Matías Rusconi

Open Access

|Oct 2026

Abstract

A new species of the genus Hexamermis, Hexamermis philaeni sp. n., was described analyzing specimens isolated from nymphs and adults of the meadow spittlebug Philaenus spumarius in Italy. The combination of the following morphological characters identifies this novel species: terminal mouth opening; the presence of six cephalic papillae; six hypodermal cords at midbody; vulvar opening wide and visible without lips, vulvar cone developed, vagina bend at connection with the uterus; spicules paired, developed, separated and equal in size, slightly curved near the distal end and shorter than the width of the body at the level of the cloaca; genital papillae surrounding the cloaca, surpassing the base of the spicules and arranged as follows: 24 pre-cloacal, 5 ad-cloacal, and 50 postcloacal. Bayesian phylogenetic analysis based on 18S data placed H. philaeni within Hexamermis–Agamermis mixed clade. To our knowledge, this work represents the first record of a Hexamermis species parasitizing P. spumarius.

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Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/jofnem-2026-0029 | Journal eISSN: 2640-396X | Journal ISSN: 0022-300X

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Language: English

Page range: 520 - 531

Submitted on: Mar 9, 2026

Accepted on: May 19, 2026

Published on: Oct 15, 2026

Published by: Society of Nematologists, Inc.

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Publication frequency: 1 issue per year

Keywords:

Terrestrial mermithidae

Related subjects:

Life sciences,

Life sciences, other

© 2026 Anita Nencioni, Gaia Bigiotti, Elisabetta Gargani, Ilaria Cutino, Agostino Strangi, Patrizia Sacchetti, José Matías Rusconi, published by Society of Nematologists, Inc.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Volume 58 (2026): Issue 1 (February 2026)