Susceptibility of Anastrepha suspensa (Diptera: Tephritidae) to Steinernematid and Heterorhahditid Nematodes in Laboratory Studies

Abstract

Significantly more larvae and adults of the Caribbean fruit fly, Anastrepha suspensa (Loew), were infected and killed by the entomogenous nematodes Steinernema feltiae Filipjev (= Neoaplectana carpocapsae Weiser) (All, Mexican, and Breton strains), Heterorhabditis heliothidis (Khan, Brooks, and Hirschmann), and H. bacteriophora Poinar than by S. glaseri Steiner in laboratory studies. Fruit fly pupae were less susceptible to nematode infection. The nematodes multiplied in the host cadavers and began leaving the parasitized hosts within 7 days. The infective-stage nematodes collected from host A. suspensa were infectious to fresh A. suspensa and to Galleria mellonella (L.) larvae.