First observed in Fiji in 1893, the burrowing nematode, Radopholus similis infects the roots of many commercial crops such as banana, ginger and citrus. A draft genome is available and sequence analysis suggests that it is closely related to cyst nematodes than to root knot or other migratory endoparasitic nematodes such as Pratylenchus. Recent work on R. similis isolates from Fiji and Australia differed in pathogenicity on ginger and banana, indicating pathotype differences between isolates.