In 1879, Bancroft reported that root-knot nematodes, which he appropriately referred to as 'flask worms' were responsible for colonists abandoning farmlands in south-eastern Queensland. As host plants he listed Solanum nigrum, Sida rhombifolia, banana, broad bean, grape, most culinary vegetables and many weeds, even those growing in virgin ground. He described root-knot of banana in some detail, considering that nematodes were responsible for Panama disease. (See Plate 1 for a reproduction of Bancroft's illustration of banana root-knot.). Tryon (1903) reported that Heterodera and Tylenohus (now Meloidogyne sp. and Radopholus similis (Cobb)) were found in banana roots at Cairns and were responsible for 'constitutional derangement involving the fruit' Illingsworth (1920) gave a comprehensive account of banana root rot due to the burrowing nematode, stressed the importance of using nematode-free planting material and recommended that suckers should be dipped in a 1/1000 solution of mercuric chloride for two hours prior to planting. In addition to these three papers, a number of other references to root-knot nematodes appeared in the Queensland Agricultural Journal and the Annual Reports of the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Stock prior to 1950. These were for the most part of an advisory nature, comprising recommendations involving burning seedbeds, crop rotation and destruction of infested roots. No taxonomic papers were published in this period. Since 1950 there has been a marked increase in the number of publications dealing with plant-parasitic nematodes in Queensland (see Appendix). Some of the papers reported field trials with nematocides which are the basis of current Departmental recommendations; others called attention to the presence of a large number of speoies affecting agricultural and horticultural crops. Five new species were described, vis. Trichodorus minor Colbran, Hemicycliophora truncate Colbran, H. labiata Colbran, Psilenchus tumidus Colbran and Belonolaimus hastulatus Colbran. This section of the thesis is the result of a survey to determine the species of the superfamily Tylenchoidea in Queensland and obtain information on their distribution and the plants with which they are associated. The families Myenchidae (parasites of leeches and amphibians), Allantonematidae and Contortotylenchidae (parasites of insects) were not considered.