Abstract
A total of 270 soil samples from 30 different habitats in 10 geographic regions of California were evaluated for the presence of rhabditid entomopathogenic nematodes. Nematodes were isolated from 26.3% of the samples. The recovered isolates were identified as Steinernema carpocapsae, S. feltiae, S. kraussei, S. longicaudum, S. oregonense, Heterorhabditis marelatus and H.bacteriophora. Among the steinernematids, S. kraussei and S. feltiae were the most commonly encountered species, generally occurring in acidic soils high in organic matter. Among the heterorhabditids, H. bacteriophora was isolated along the southern coast, whereas H. marelatus was recovered along the northern coast of California. Steinernematids were recovered from coniferous forests, oak woodlands and grasslands whereas heterorhabditids were isolated from coastal marshes.
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Stock, S.P., Pryor, B.M. & Kaya, H.K. Distribution of entomopathogenic nematodes (Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae) in natural habitats in California, USA. Biodiversity and Conservation 8, 535–549 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008827422372
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008827422372