SPHAERONEMA WHITTONI N. SP. (NEMATODA: CRICONEMATIDAE) BY

A new species of Sphaeronema is described. S. whittoni females are distinguished by their round stylet knobs, vulval lips flush with the body, lack of cuticular pattern, and large size. Males and second stage larvae differ from other described species in the shape of stylet knobs and body size. In 1956 specimens of Sphaeronema were collected by Mr. Gilbert M. Whitton from roots of Liquidambar.rtyraci f lua L. (Sweetgum) growing along Hatchet Creek, approximately eight miles east of Gainesville, Florida. Cultures of the nematode were maintained in the glasshouse by growing sweet-gum seedlings in infested soil from Hatchet Creek. Examination of larval and adult stages of this nematode revealed that this population represented an un-described species of Sphaeronema which is described below