Aphelenchoides sp.

The genus Aphelenchoides Fischer, 1894 is composed of about 150 species which are difficult to identify as reliable identification keys are lacking, due to the high number of insufficiently described species. Aphelenchoides-species are found in every soil where they feed on fungi. While most of the species are fungi feeders, a small number is able to feed on a large number of higher plants. They feed in aboveground plant parts as stems, leaves, buds and bulbs and can cause considerable damage. In leaves infested by a plant-parasitic Aphelenchoides species (like A. ritzemabosi and A. fragariae) they induce a characteristic mosaic pattern of healthy and damaged tissue.