“Who’s that nematode?” Morphological identification of slug-associated nematodes in the Mid-Atlantic US

• Trinity Antoszewski, Insect Ecology and Conservation, University of Delaware

• Michael Crossley, Entomology and Wildlife Ecology, University of Delaware

Slugs are a major pest of young crops like soybean, leading to thousands in damaged crops. One of the most promising options of their management is slug pathogenic nematodes, which are transparent microscopic roundworms that number in the trillions. However, the only way to identify these nematodes is through DNA analysis, which is time consuming and expensive. I am examining the morphological features of nematodes from slug cadavers. Using these features, we can describe and reliably identify potential slug biological control options. Knowing what specific nematodes are killing slugs allows us to run trials and potentially mass produce them for large scale use.