A new species of entomopathogenic nematode named Steinernema sandneri has been recently reported from Poland. This nematode was recovered from soil by baiting with wax worm, Galleria mellonella. Recovered nematodes were then cultured again in wax worm larvae and their first and second generation males and females, and infective juveniles (Photo 1) were used for recording both molecular and morphological characteristics. Based on the phylogenetic analysis of the ITS rDNA, D2D3 of 28 S rDNA, and Cox1 sequences, this nematode was identified as a new species Steinernema sandneri. According to Lis et al. (2021, this species is closely related to two other entomopathogenic nematode species including Steinernema kraussei and Steinernema silvaticum based on phylogenetic analysis. Also, based on the morphological characteristics it is considered a member of feltiae- kraussei group (Lis et al., 2021). The infectivity of this species was studied only against laboratory test insects like G. mellonella and mealworm, Tenebrio molitor but it was not tested against any known crop pests. Furthermore, its original site of occurrence in Poland is not known because authors did not provide any information on the specific cropping system that was used for conducting the survey.
Photo 1. Infective juveniles of entomopathogenic nematodes.
Literature:
Lis M, Sajnaga E, Skowronek M, Wiater A, Rachwał K, Kazimierczak W. Steinernema sandneri n. sp. (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae), a new entomopathogenic nematode from Poland. J Nematol. 2021 May 21;53:e2021-51. doi: 10.21307/jofnem-2021-051.