Abstract
Japanese populations ascribed to Pratylenchus coffeae were comparatively investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and with stepwise linear discriminant function analysis (SLDA). SEM observation of the first lip annule showed 2 different en face patterns among the 6 populations; 3 populations with undivided faces and the remainder with the face incised to demarcate sub-median and lateral sectors. SLDA was successful in discriminating 6 populations into 3 groups. This analysis indicated that Japanese P. coffeae populations could, at least, be divided into 3 distinct species.
