Search results for " Mermithidae"

Hexamermis sp. an entomopathogenous nematode associated with the European stink bug

2008

The nematodes of the Mermithidae family are a large and important group obligatory parasite of arthropods, principally insects, and are almost always lethal to their hosts. They are usually specific to a single species or to one or two families of them. A mermithid of the genus Hexamermis Steiner, was found parasiting the stink bug Rhaphigaster nebulosa Poda (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), present on hazelnut plants in the Piedmont region. The bug feeds on various broadleaved woody plant and is considered a serious pest for Mermithidae in Italy. Considerations regarding the taxonomy of the Hexamermis genus are reported. From the taxonomic point of view is very difficult to describe the different…