First reports of Xiphinema rivesi and Xiphinema incertum (Nematoda: Longidoridae) in Bosnia-Herzegovina

A nematode survey was carried out (in 2020) in apple and poplar orchards in Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovina detected two nematode species belonging to the Xiphinema americanum-group. Polyphasic identification, combining morphological, molecular and phylogenetic analyses identified the nematodes as X. rivesi in apple orchards and X. incertum in poplar trees. Sequence and phylogenetic analyses used two rRNA genes (D2-D3 expansion segments of 28S rRNA, and ITS regions), and partial mitochondrial COI region detected high intra- and inter-specific variability within X. rivesi. These are the first reports of X. rivesi and X. incertum in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which extend the geographical distribution of these species in Europe.