Db. Hay et Pn. Richardson, INTERSPECIFIC AND INTRASPECIFIC VARIATION IN INFECTIVITY OF STEINERNEMA SPP TO LARVAE OF THE MUSHROOM FLY LYCORIELLA-SOLANI, Entomologia experimentalis et applicata, 77(1), 1995, pp. 11-15
Laboratory bioassays were done to assess the susceptibility of larvae
of the mushroom sciarid fly Lycoriella solani Winnertz (Diptera; Sciar
idae) to 16 isolates comprising five species of the entomopathogenic n
ematode, Steinernema (Nematoda; Steinernematidae). Each isolate was te
sted by challenging sciarid larvae with single nematodes, Six isolates
were also tested in dose-response experiments. Variations in nematode
infectivity occurred (p < 0.001) at both inter- and intraspecific lev
els. Steinernema, feltiae (Filipjev) was the most virulent species: tw
o isolates, Memasys (LD(50) = 1.5 - 3.9) acid Sus 94 (1.8 - 3.9) were
superior to the rest. Steinernema kraussei (Steiner) was the least inf
ectious nematode tested as its infection probability never exceeded 0.
10. In addition, lethal dose(50) values for this species ranged from 9
.0 - 62.6 and two isolates failed consistently to infect any hosts.