{{Short description|Genus of roundworms}} <!-- There is not an upper level in the taxonomy tree of articles linked to this article --> {{Automatic taxobox | taxon = Belonolaimus | authority = Steiner, 1949 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = 6, see text }}
'''''Belonolaimus''''' is a genus of nematodes. They are known commonly as '''sting nematodes'''.<ref name=aps>[http://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/intropp/lessons/Nematodes/Pages/StingNematode.aspx Sting nematodes.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921060543/http://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/intropp/lessons/Nematodes/Pages/StingNematode.aspx |date=2013-09-21 }} American Phytopathological Society.</ref> They are ectoparasites that feed on plant roots, sometimes becoming agricultural pests.<ref name=aps/> They are found in the United States, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.<ref name=del>del Prado Vera, I. C. and S. A. Subbotin. (2012). [http://www.russjnematology.com/subbotin/Reprint/Belonolamus.pdf ''Belonolaimus maluceroi'' sp. n. (Tylenchida: Belonolaimidae) from a tropical forest in Mexico and key to the species of ''Belonolaimus''.] ''Nematropica'' 42(2), 201-10.</ref>
The genus was erected with the description of ''B. gracilis'' from the roots of a pine tree in Florida in the United States.<ref name=aps/> Other species were soon described from various pine species.<ref name=del/> ''B. longicaudatus'' was recognized as an important agricultural pest in the southeastern United States.<ref name=aps/>
These are some of the largest plant-parasitic nematodes, reaching up to 3 millimeters in length. They feed by inserting their stylets into roots and sucking the contents of root cells. They can be found on fruits, vegetables, and turfgrasses or on crops such as cotton, soybeans,<ref name=SoybeanFieldBook>{{cite book|last1=Bennett|first1=J. Michael|last2=Rhetoric|first2=Emeritus|last3=Hicks|first3=Dale R.|last4=Naeve|first4=Seth L.|last5=Bennett|first5=Nancy Bush|title=The Minnesota Soybean Field Book|date=2014|publisher=University of Minnesota Extension|location=St Paul, MN|page=86|url=http://www.extension.umn.edu/agriculture/soybean/docs/minnesota-soybean-field-book.pdf|access-date=21 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130930151502/http://www1.extension.umn.edu/agriculture/soybean/docs/minnesota-soybean-field-book.pdf|archive-date=30 September 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> and tree plantations. Sting nematodes can cause severe plant damage and have been responsible for complete crop losses. ''B. longicaudis'' is considered to be the worst pest species.<ref name=aps/>
Females are fertilized by males, storing sperm in a spermatheca. The females lay several eggs, and there are four juvenile stages.<ref name=aps/>
== Species == There are six valid species, but ''B. longicaudis'' is considered a species complex.<ref name=del/> *''Belonolaimus euthychilus'' * ''Belonolaimus gracilis'' * ''Belonolaimus longicaudatus'' *''Belonolaimus maluceroi'' *''Belonolaimus maritimus'' *''Belonolaimus nortoni''
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == *[http://nematode.unl.edu/belonosp.htm ''Belonolaimus''.] Plant and Insect Parasitic Nematodes. University of Nebraska - Lincoln. *[http://cisr.ucr.edu/sting_nematode.html Sting Nematode (''Belonolaimus longicaudatus'').] Center for Invasive Species Research. University of California, Riverside.
{{Taxonbar|from=Q4884537}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Tylenchida Category:Agricultural pest nematodes Category:Soybean diseases Category:Secernentea genera
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