Steinernema kandii n. sp. (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae), a new entomopathogenic nematode from northern Benin

Two nematode isolates from the genus Steinernema were collected in northern Benin. Morphological, morphometric, molecular and cross-hybridisation studies placed these nematodes into a new species, Steinernema kandii n. sp., within the bicornutum -group. Phylogenetic analyses based on both ITS and D2-D3 regions of 28S rDNA revealed that S. kandii n. sp. is different from all known Steinernema species and sister to S. abbasi (97.3-97.6% ITS nucleotide similarity) and S. bifurcatum (98.3-98.4% D2-D3 similarity). Steinernema kandii n. sp. can be separated from other members of the bicornutum -group by the greater infective juvenile (IJ) max. body diam. of 35 (27-48) μ m (type isolate). It differs from S. abbasi by the greater IJ body length 707 (632-833) μ m (type isolate), EP distance 55 (52-60) μ m (type isolate), spicule length 67 (57-75) μ m (type isolate) and the occurrence of one pair of genital papillae at the cloacal aperture.