Two new free-living marine nematodes of the genus Belbolla Andrássy, 1973 belonging to family Enchelidiidae are newly described based on specimens obtained from a shallow subtidal sediment of the western and southern outermost islands of Korea. Belbolla koreensis sp. nov. differs from other species of the genus by the combination of the following characteristics: longer body length (3,080-3,462 μm long), eight oesophageal bulbs in the posterior region of pharynx, well-developed two winged precloacal supplements (anterior precloacal supplement slightly longer than posterior one: 47-59 μm vs. 43-46 μm long), strongly arcuated, very thick, L - shaped spicule (122- 127 μm long, 1.7-1.9 anal body diameter (a.b.d.) long) with three separated blunt distal tips, and well-developed relatively long cylindrical shaped gubernacular apophysis with blunt teeth covering two thirds of the dorsal margin (57-58 μm long, 0.8-0.9 a.b.d. long). Belbolla hoonsooi sp. nov. is characterized by the following combination of characteristics: longer body length (3,494 μm long), eight oesophageal bulbs in the posterior region of pharynx, well-developed two winged precloacal supplements (anterior precloacal supplement slightly longer than posterior one: 43 μm vs. 36 μm long), strongly arcuated, L - shaped spicule (119 μm long, 1.5 a.b.d. long) with three separated blunt distal tip, and well-developed relatively long inverted triangle shaped gubernacular apophysis with blunt teeth covering half of the dorsal margin (45 μm long, 0.6 a.b.d. long). Detailed morphological characteristics and illustrations of two new Belbolla nematodes from the Korean seawaters were provided by differential interference contrast microscopy. Comparative tables on biogeographical and morphological characteristics of Belbolla species are also provided herein.
A new free-living marine nematode species of the genus Belbolla Andrássy, 1973 belonging to the family Enchelidiidae is described based on specimens collected from the sediment of a subtidal benthic environmental habitat in the East Sea, Korea. Belbolla wonkimi sp. nov. differs from its congeners by the combination of the following characteristics: a relatively long body (3263-3396 μm), the absence of ocelli, nine oesophageal bulbs in the posterior pharynx, well-developed two winged precloacal supplements, longer spicule length (115-130 μm, 1.6-1.8 anal body diameter long), and a triangle-shaped shorter gubernacular apophysis (17-18 μm). Comparative tables on the biogeographical and morphological characteristics of Belbolla species are presented. A DIC (differential interference contrast) photomicrograph of the new species is also provided. This is the first taxonomic report on the genus Belbolla from Korean waters.