Chiara Sciandra, Sara Amoriello, Emilia Innocenti Degli, Valentina Nicotera, Francesco Barbieri, Giuseppe Mazza, Giulia Torrini, Pio Federico Roversi, Agostino Strangi
Rhabditis (Rhabditella) axei is a free-living, pseudoparasitic, necromenic, and parasitic nematode, depending on the host. This species feeds mainly on bacteria present in decaying organic matter, soil, and other substrates; however, in its parasitic form, it can colonize some species of snails. Moreover, the presence of R. axei has also been detected in birds and mammals, including humans. In 2021-2023, during monitoring of the palm borer Paysandisia archon in Central Italy, R. axei emerged from dead larvae of this alien invasive moth and was extracted from palm fibres of Trachycarpus fortunei in three independent sites...
March 2024: Journal of Nematology