Summary: Based on the number of incisures in the lateral field, spicule shape, arrangement of male caudal papillae, presence or absence of vulval flap, position of excretory pore and length of postvulval uterus branch, the typological taxonomic grouping of Bursaphelenchus is revised. The currently proposed grouping system of 152 Bursaphelenchus species (including subspecies) is divided into 10 groups with four incisures in the lateral field ( xylophilus , pterocarpi , okinawaensis , africanus , tokyoensis , fungivorus , posterovulvus , kevini , cocophilus and sexdentati ), three groups with three incisures ( eggersi , hofmanni and leoni ) and three groups with two incisures ( abietinus , hylobianum and sinensis ). This system effectively integrates typological morphological classification and phylogenetic analysis based on partial rDNA sequences (SSU, ITS1/2, LSU D2/D3) which exhibits similar patterns, except for the hofmanni group, where morphological characteristics do not align with the clearly delineated subgroups inferred from molecular phylogenetic trees.