''Heterorhabditis megidis'' is a species of nematodes in the genus ''

Heterorhabditis ''Heterorhabditis'' is a genus of nematodes belonging to the order Rhabditida. All species of this genus are obligate parasites of insects, and some are used as biological control agents for the control of pest insects. ''Heterorhabditis'' nemat ...

''. All species of this genus are obligate

parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

s of insects, and some are used as

biological control Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, such as insects, mites, weeds, and plant diseases, using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms, but typically also invo ...

agents for the control of pest insects. ''Heterorhabditis megidis'' nematodes are hosts for the '' Photorhabdus luminescens'' bacterial symbiont. It can be used to fight the Japanese beetle, ''

Popillia japonica The Japanese beetle (''Popillia japonica'') is a species of scarab beetle. The adult measures in length and in width, has iridescent copper-colored elytra and a green thorax and head. It is not very destructive in Japan (where it is control ...

'' (Scarabaeidae: Coleoptera), in Ohio. 3,5-Dihydroxy-4-isopropyl-''trans''-stilbene is a bacterial stilbenoid produced by the ''P. luminescens'' bacterial symbiont species of the entomopathogenic nematode, ''H. megidis''. Experiments with infected larvae of ''

Galleria mellonella ''Galleria mellonella'', the greater wax moth or honeycomb moth, is a moth of the family Pyralidae. ''G. mellonella'' is found throughout the world. It is one of two species of wax moths, with the other being the lesser wax moth. ''G. mellonella' ...

'', the wax moth, support the hypothesis that the compound has antibiotic properties that help minimize competition from other microorganisms and prevents the putrefaction of the nematode-infected insect cadaver.

References

External links

Rhabditida Nematodes described in 1987 Parasitic nematodes of animals Biological control agents of pest insects Taxa named by George Poinar Jr. {{Rhabditida-stub