PATHOGENICITY EFFECT OF THE ENTOMOPATHOGENIC NEMATODE STEINERNEMA SPP. (RHABDITIDA: STEINERNEMATIDAE) AS BIOLOGICAL CONTROLOF SCYPHOPHORUS ACUPUNCTATUS, PEST OF AGAVE TEQUILANA WEBER.

The weevil Scyphophorus acupunctatus(Gyllenhal), is a insect pest attacks the Agave tequilana. The damage is due to larvae bore into the stem forming galleries and feeding on it as the root of the agave, to avoid the effects of environmental pollution caused by chemical insecticides, some studies suggest the search for alternatives as the use of biological control by of entomopathogenic nematodesapplication.In the present study, entomopathogenic nematode isolateswere found on dead larvae weevil as well in adults.The molecular and phylogenetic comparative analysisstudies, showed that all three native isolates were identified as members of the Steinernema riobrave.Likewise, EPNpathogenicity of against the weevil was quantified, considering the criterion of overlapping fiducial limits and CL50 was determined that the weevil larvae have increased susceptibility for the isolateSteinernema sp. AN4, Steinernema sp. AN2 and exotic strain S. carpocapsae All (Florida) that had a lower CL50, besides not present significant differences between them. This findings had determined the effect of exotic strain as well native isolate, which showed to have potential on the use as biocontrol forS. acupunctatuslarvae.