The taxonomic position of two antarctic dorylaimid species Amblydorylaimusisokaryon (Loof, 1975) Andrássy, 1998 and Pararhyssocolpusparadoxus (Loof, 1975), gen. n., comb. n. are discussed on the basis of morphological, including SEM study, morphometric, postembryonic and sequence data of 18S rDNA and the D2-D3 expansion fragments of large subunit rDNA. The evolutionary trees inferred from 18S sequences show insufficient resolution to determine the assignment of the two species to particular families, moreover Pararhyssocolpusparadoxus gen. n., comb. n. (=Rhyssocolpusparadoxus) previously regarded as a member of Nordiidae or Qudsianematidae, showed distant relationship both to Rhyssocolpusvinciguerrae and Eudorylaimus spp. The phylogram inferred from 28S sequences revealed that Amblydorylaimusisokaryon is a member of a well-supported group comprised of several Aporcelaimellus spp., while, no close relationships could be revealed for the Pararhyssocolpusparadoxus gen. n., comb. n. to any nematode genus. On the basis of molecular data and morphological characteristics, some taxonomic changes are proposed. Amblydorylaimusisokaryon is transferred from family Qudsianematidae to family Aporcelaimidae, and a new monotypic genus Pararhyssocolpus gen. n. is proposed, attributed to Pararhyssocolpidaefam. n. The diagnosis of the new family is provided together with emended diagnosis of the genera Amblydorylaimus and Pararhyssocolpus gen. n. Data concerning distribution of these endemic genera in the Antarctic region are also given.
Keywords: 18S rDNA; D2-D3 28S rDNA; SEM; morphology; new geographic records; nomenclature; taxonomy.