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Language: English
The dorylaim nematodes constitute a very large group among terrestrial forms and occur more frequently than any other group. They are found the world over, in all types of soil and freshwater, in every conceivable habitat and usually dominate both in number and species over all other soil inhabiting nematodes. "The Order Dorylaimida contains very attractive forms but is a hard nut to crack taxonomically", wrote the world's most senior nematode taxonomist way back in 1992 in his foreword of the monumental book Dorylaimida written by two internationally acclaimed nematologists of the Aligarh Muslim University.
The identification of long-tailed dorylaims has always been problematic. In recent decades several authors have tried to make the group more homogenous by proposing several closely related genera but unfortunately this has made the identification more difficult rather than making it simple. The genus Mesodorylaimus with 144 valid species is one of the most speciose taxa among dorylaims, only second to Xiphinema and is cosmopolitan in distribution. Andrássy (1986, 1988) provided a key for the identification of Mesodorylaimus species but since then a large number of species has been added. The present monograph is devoted to description of Indian species only, and gives a detailed historical review of the genus, an exhaustive chapter on its morphology and the key to all the valid species provided in this monographic study. This should help nematologists in identifying the Mesodorylaimus species which are common in their samples. The authors are sure that this monograph will be a useful addition to the literature on nematodes of India and the world. Soil ecologists and nematode taxonomists will both find it a very useful document.
