Heterorhabditis species

Described Species of Heterorhabditis:

• Heterorhabditis bacteriophora
• Heterorhabditis megidis
• Heterorhabditis hawaiiensis
• Heterorhabditis indicus
• Heterorhabditis zealandica
• Heterorhabditis (NW European)

Heterorhabditis hawaiiensis

References on H. hawaiiensis

Where you can find a description:

Gardner, S. L., Stock, S. P. & Kaya, H. K. 1994. A new species of Heterorhabditis from the Hawaiian islands. J. Parasitol. 80(1) 100- 106.

Diagnostic Morphological Features:

1. Has shorter juveniles than any other heterorhabditid with the exception of H. indicus.

2. To distinguish it from H. indicus, look for:

• different shaped spicules

• better developed manubrium

• lamina with a ventral expansion

• more pronounced development of bursal rays

Diagnostic Molecular Features

1. To date there has not been an attempt to use molecular characters in distinguishing this isolate from all of the other heterorhabditid species.

2. RAPDs

Operon primers A-05, A-13, B-1 & B-4 distinguish H. hawaiiensis from H. nov. (Argentina), H. bacteriophora, H. megidis, and Steinernema glaseri.

Heterorhabditis indicus

Where you can find a description:

Poinar Jr. , G. O., Karunakar, G. K. & H. David. 1992. Heterorhabditis indicus n. sp. (Rhabditida : Nematoda) from India : separation of Heterorhabditis spp. by infective juveniles. Fundam. appl. Nematol. 15 (5): 467-472.

Diagnostic Morphological Features:

1. distinguishable from male H. megidis by its peloderan bursa (leptoderan or pseudopeloderan in H. megidis).

2. differs from H. bacteriophora, H. zealandica & H. megidis by having absent or modified 8th and 9th bursal rays.

Diagnostic Molecular Features:

1. Under construction

Heterorhabditis zealandica

Where you can find a description:

Wouts, W. M. 1979. The biology and life cycle of a New Zealand population of Heterorhabditis heliothidis (Heterorhabditidae). Nematologica 25.

Diagnostic morphological features:

1. Under construction

Diagnostic Molecular Features:

1. Although morphologically similar to H. heliothidis, starch gel protein electrophoresis distinguishes the two.

Heterorhabditis bacteriophora

Where you can find a description:

Poinar, Jr., G. O. 1975. Description and biology of a new insect parasitic rhabditoid, Heterorhabditis bacteriophora n. gen., n. sp. (Rhabditida; Heterorhabditidae n. Fam.). Nematologica 21:463- 470.

Diagnostic Morphological Features:

1. Under construction

Diagnostic Molecular Features:

1. Under construction

Heterorhabditis megidis

Where you can find a description:

Poinar, Jr., G. O., Jackson, T and M. Klein. 1987. Heterorhabditis megidis sp. n. (Heterorhabditidae: Rhabditida), parasitic in the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica (Scarabaeidae: Coleoptera), in Ohio.

Diagnostic Morphological Features:

1. A longer body length and distance from head to excretory pore distinguish H. megidis from H. bacteriophora and the H. heliothidis (NC, NZ, & Cuba) group.

Diagnostic Molecular Features:

1. Endonuclease RFLPs distinguish H. megidis from H. bacteriophora and the H. heliothidis group.

Biological Species Recognition in the Heterorhabditidae:

Cross mating compatibility tests show that isolates representing these groups comprise 6 species. These groupings are further supported by mitochondrial and rDNA RFLP profiles. See:

Dix, I., Burnell, A. M., Griffin, C. T., Joyce, S. A., Nugent, M. J. & M. J. Downes. 1992. The identification of biological species in the genus Heterorhabditis (Nematoda: Heterorhabditidae) by crossbreeding second-generation amphimictic adults. Parasitology 104:509-518.

Joyce, S. A., Burnell, A. M., Powers, T. O. 1994. Characterization of Heterorhabditis isolates by PCR amplification of segments of mtDNA and rDNA genes. Journal of Nematology 26(3).

Biological Species (sensu Mayr, 1963) and their distributions:

1. An undescribed Irish species

--Ireland, Scotland, Wales, England, North America (and H. meg., from Ohio)

2. H. megidis /Northwest European species

--Netherlands, England, Germany, Poland, North America (OH),

3. An NC-1 species (includes HP-88)

--North America, Italy

4. H. bacteriophora

--Australia, North America (NC, GA, KY, CA, TX, FL SC, UT), China, Italy, Argentina

5. A tropical species

--Cuba

6. H. zealandica

--New Zealand, Lithuania, USSR (Nachodka), Australia