Description of Caenorhabditis angaria n. sp. (Nematoda: Rhabditidae), an associate of sugarcane and palm weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Caenorhabditis angaria n. sp., an ectophoretic associate of the West Indian sugarcane weevil, Metamasius hemipterus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is described and illustrated. Data on biology (longevity, fecundity) and ecology are presented. Caenorhabditis angaria n. sp. is gonochoristic and can be differentiated from other species of Caenorhabditis by its comparatively short stoma in combination with six semicircular overlapping flaps on the lips, lack of a pharyngeal sleeve, one pair of teeth on each sector of the metastegostom, and a proximally open bursa with nine pairs of genital papillae (GP) and papilliform phasmids (ph) in a 2/2 + 2 + 3 + ph arrangement with GP4 and 7 opening dorsally. Caenorhabditis angaria n. sp. was isolated and cultured from M. hemipterus from Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties, FL, USA, and from Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, and from the American palm weevil, Rhynchophorus palmarum, from Trinidad. The nematode is phoretically associated with weevils as dauer juveniles without causing obvious deleterious effects. Caenorhabditis angaria n. sp. does not require the association with a weevil and can be cultured continuously on bacteria.