ON A NEW ISOLATE OF HETERORHABDITIS-BACTERIOPHORA POINAR, 1975 (NEMATODA, HETERORHABDITIDAE) FROM ARGENTINA - LIFE-CYCLE AND DESCRIPTION OFINFECTIVE JUVENILES, FEMALES, MALES AND HERMAPHRODITES OF 2ND AND 3RDGENERATIONS

A new isolate of Heterorhabditis bacteriophora Poinar, 1975 from Oliva , Argentina is described. The life cycle was studied under laboratory conditions. Three generations were observed: a first hermaphroditic ge neration, a second generation in which both hermaphroditic and amphimi ctic form occur, and a third generation, hermaphroditic. The morpholog ical and morphometric characters were analysed. A comparative study of typical and Rio Cuarto isolates found morphological characters to be similar. Significant differences between Oliva and Rio Cuarto isolates were observed for most of the measurements of adults of the first and second generations and infective juveniles. The hermaphrodites of the second and third generation, described for the first time, are differ entiated by the length and shape of the tail and the shape of the vulv a.