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Abstract

Pristionchus fissidentatus n. sp., isolated from soil in Nepal, and P. elegans n. sp., isolated from Phelotrupes auratus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Japan, are described. The two new species are recognized as basal within the genus and thus occupy an important position for macroevolutionary studies that center on the model P. pacificus. Pristionchus fissidentatus n. sp. is distinguished by its unique stegostomatal morphology: in the stenostomatous form, the right subventral ridge has three prominent cusps and the left subventral sector has, in addition to a plate with two cusps, a prominent denticle slightly left of ventral; in the eurystomatous form, the right subventral stegostomatal sector shows both a tooth and a ridge with several cusps. Diagnostic of P. elegans n. sp. is the structure of the stenostomatous cheilostom, which bulges medially and is underlain by a large vacuolated ring. No eurystomatous form has been observed in P. elegans n. sp. Reproductive modes of P. fissidentatus n. sp. and P. elegans n. sp. are hermaphroditic and gonochoristic, respectively. The additional isolation of P. fissidentatus n. sp. from soil and two species of scarab beetle on La Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean suggests a broad geographic range for this species.