Comm. Appl. Biol. Sci, Ghent University,74l2,2A0g 617 NEW RECORD OF XIPHINET,IA INDEXTHORNE AND ALLEN, 1950 (NEMATODA: LONGIDORIDAE) FROM BULGARIA WITH DESCRIPTION OF THEMALE T. BILEVA1 & B. CHOLEVAz 1 Agricultural University, Department of Ecology & Environmental Protection 12 Mendeleev Street, 4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria e-mai |:tbileva @abv. bg 2 Sofia University, St.Kliment Ohridski, Biological Faculty, B Dragan Tsankov Street, LL64 Sofia, Bulgaria INTRODUCTION Xiphinemo index Thorne and Alten, 1950is one of the rnost widel,ydistributed tongidorid species in Butgaria.Duringthe study of the nernatodes from famity Longidoridae in the South Butgarian grapevine regions a poputation of Xiphinema indexwith a mate specimen were detected. MATERIALS AND METHODS Soi[samptes were cottected from the rhizosphere of grapevines locatedin Training and ExperimentalViticutture Station of Agricuttural U niversity near to vittage Brestnik.Xiphineme index was extracted from 200 cm 3 soil by a sievingand de- canting technique. Specimens were kitted by hot 4 %f ormatdehyde solution, proc- essedto anhydrous gtycerotanb mounted on permanent microscopic gtass stides (Seinhorst, 1959). Photographs were takenusing an Otympus BX51 compound mi- croscope powered with differentialinterference contrast.lmages were taken with a CotorView lllu camera and cett^P software. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The morphometric characteristics of the poputation of Xiphinemaindex from Brestnik vittageare given in the Tabte1 and Figure 1. Female: death posture an open C; Lip region atmostcontinuous with the rest of the body or separated by a very weak depression. Arnphids, odontostyte, odontophore and guiding sheathare typical of the genus. Vulvaa depressed transverse stit about hatt body -width long locatedat about,42percentof body;genital branches equail,y devetoped, ovaries reflexed; Tai[ convex-conoid with a greater curvature dorsatty and a digitate ven- tral or terminal peg, rarety without; llale: extrernety rare, generalty similarto femate with more coitedposterior region. Testes 2, Spicutes heavity buitd, 51.2 Fm tong; Diagonal copulatory musctes strongty developed. four pairsof caudal pores; Juveniles: separated into four stages. Theyresembte adutts except for srnaller size, body posture less ventrattycurved than aduttsand differences in tail length and shape. CONCLUSIONS Metric characteristics of the poputation of Xiphinema index with a rnatefrom the rhizosphere of grapevines locatednear to vittage Brestnik (region Ptovd'iv) differ stightty in the Length of the body,length of the odontostyte, position of the vulva,