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A self-fertile species of Steinernema from Indonesia: further evidence of convergent evolution amongst entomopathogenic nematodes?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 May 2002

C.T. GRIFFIN ,
K.M. O'CALLAGHAN  and
I. DIX
C.T. GRIFFIN
Affiliation:
Institute of Bioengineering and Agroecology, and Department of Biology, National University of Ireland Maynooth, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
K.M. O'CALLAGHAN
Affiliation:
Institute of Bioengineering and Agroecology, and Department of Biology, National University of Ireland Maynooth, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
I. DIX
Affiliation:
Institute of Bioengineering and Agroecology, and Department of Biology, National University of Ireland Maynooth, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland
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Abstract

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More than 20 species of the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema have been described; to date, all reproduce exclusively by cross-fertilization of male and female individuals. Steinernema sp. strain T87 from Indonesia was found to consist largely of self-fertile hermaphrodites. Progeny were produced by morphological females both in insects (Galleria mellonella) and in hanging drops of insect haemolymph inoculated with a single infective juvenile. Sperm were present in the oviduct of unmated morphological females. Approximately 1% of infective juveniles developed into males, and males were also present in the second generation where they constituted 1–6% of the population. Under the same conditions the related species Steinernema longicaudum strain CB2B displayed typical steinernematid reproduction: cross-fertilization and a 1:1 sex ratio. It is argued that the development of hermaphroditism in Steinernema sp. T87 represents convergent evolution with Heterorhabditis, the other major genus of entomopathogenic nematode.

Keywords

evolutionhermaphroditenematodereproductionself-fertilizationsex determination
Type
Research Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 122 , Issue 2 , February 2001 , pp. 181 - 186
Copyright
© 2001 Cambridge University Press