MORPHOLOGICAL MUTANT IN THE ENTOMOPATHOGENIC NEMATODE, HETERORHABDITIS-BACTERIOPHORA

Heterorhabditis bacteriophora is an entomopathogenic nematode that has potential as a biological control agent. As a first step in the genet ic analysis of this nematode, we induced and isolated a short nematode (dumpy) from the F-2 progeny of an EMS mutagenized nematode. Phenotyp ically, the dumpy adult is 60% shorter than the wild type. There is al most no longitudinal growth after the infective juvenile stage. Dumpy is completely recessive with 100% penetrance and uniform expressivity. When F-1 progeny were allowed to self, F-2 progeny segregated wild: d umpy in a 15:1 ratio (chi(2) = 0.634, .5 > P > .2). This dumpy mutatio n (Rhdpy) complements another dumpy mutation isolated in israel and is the second gene known for this species.