Steinernema costaricense Uribe-Lorre, Mora & Stock, 2007

Summary:  Steinernema costaricense was recovered during a survey for native entomopathogenic nematodes in Costa Rica. Morphological data, molecular (28S rDNA sequence data) studies and cross-hybridisation tests were used for diagnostic and identification purposes. Additionally, 28S rDNA sequence data were used to assess the evolutionary relationships of the new species with other Steinernema spp. Morphological diagnostic features for S. costaricense include: the body size of the infective juvenile (av. 1,696 µm); the presence of protruding ‘horn-like’ cephalic papillae; the position of the excretory pore in the infective juvenile (av. 77 µm) and the first generation male (av. 117 µm); the D% value of the infective juvenile (av. 53) and the first generation male (av. 56); the E% value of the infective juvenile (av. 85); and the morphology of the spicules and gubernaculum of the first generation male.