Steinernema Ritteri*) N. Sp. (Nematoda: Steinernematidae) With a Key To the Species of the Genus

Abstract

Life stages of a new species of Steinernematidae from Cordoba province, Argentina, are described and illustrated. Steinernema ritteri n. sp. is characterized by the presence of a conspicuous double vulval epiptygma in the females. This feature separates it from all the other species of the genus, except from S. bibionis Bovien, 1937 and S. scapterisci Nguyen & Smart, 1990. It differs from S. bibionis by the greater dimensions of the infective larva and from S. scapterisci by having different measurements in all the stages under consideration. A taxonomic key is given for all ten valid species based on the infective larvae.