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Abstract:
The utility of the nematode Pristionchus pacificus as a model system in evolutionary biology and comparative developmental biology builds on the availability of a sophisticated genetic and molecular toolkit with a resolved phylogenetic context. Specifically, surveys have recovered several new species of Pristionchus, which are particularly diverse in East Asia. In total, 29 Pristionchus species have been characterized by molecular, morphological and in some cases genetic tools. All of these species, often including independently collected wild isolates, are available as live and frozen stocks in the Tübingen lab collection and can be distributed upon request. Similarly, a broad framework of 24 genera of the Diplogastridae family has been established, many of which are also available as live or frozen stocks. This includes among others, species of four newly described genera (e.g. Parapristionchus, Sudhausia), which have been characterized in recent years. To provide a transparent system for the taxonomy, biosystematics and phylogeny of Pristionchus and ultimately the Diplogastridae, we are establishing an online platform, Pristionchus Scratchpad (following the guidelines of scratchpads.eu), which can help researchers throughout the world to obtain an overview of published work and to request cultured isolates. Specifically, Pristionchus Scratchpad provides information on i) a species overview with published references and PDFs, ii) species distribution maps, iii) morphological characterization, iv) morphometrics and v) SSU rRNA and other molecular sequence tags. We hereby present Pristionchus Scratchpad as a model for an online platform of modern taxonomy, biosystematics and phylogenetic research in nematodes.
