Report of the Parana coffee root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne paranaensis (Tylenchida: Meloidogynidae) from Caladium sp. in the continental United States

In May 2021, the Parana coffee root-knot nematode, was identified using molecular markers from a potted elephant ear plant ( sp.) originated from San Antonio, Texas, USA. This nematode was found in a mixture with the peanut root-knot nematode, The molecular analysis showed that the intergenic -16S gene region and the D2-D3 of 28S rRNA gene sequences allowed differentiating from the related root-knot nematode species of the tropical group. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first report of in the continental United States.