GENOME SIZES OF THE ENTOMOPATHOGENIC NEMATODES STEINERNEMA-CARPOCAPSAE AND HETERORHABDITIS-BACTERIOPHORA (NEMATODA, RHABDITIDA)

There is currently no information on the genome size and complexity in the entomoparasitic nematodes Steinernema and Heterorhabditis. DNA re association kinetics were used to determine the genome size and comple xity in 2 species: Steinernema carpocapsae and Heterorhabditis bacteri ophora. C(0)t curves derived from renaturation kinetics of denatured D NA indicate that the genomes of these entomoparasitic rhabditids are d ifferent both in size and complexity. Genome sizes were estimated at 2 .3 x 10(8) bp for S. carpocapsae and 3.9 x 10(7) bp for H. bacteriopho ra and repetitive DNA contents were found to represent 39% and 51% of these respective genomes.