Modelling the potential global distribution of suitable habitat for the biological control agent Heterorhabditis indica

Entomopathogenic nematode (EPN) Heterorhabditis indica is a promising biocontrol candidate. Despite the acknowledged importance of EPN in pest control, no extensive data sets or maps have been developed on their distribution at global level. This study is the first attempt to generate Ecological Niche Models (ENM) for H. indica and its global Habitat Suitability Map (HSM) to generate biogeographical information and predicts its global geographical range of prospective areas for its exploration and to help identify the suitable release areas for biocontrol purpose. The aim of the modelling exercise was to access the influence of temperature and soil moisture on the biogeographical patterns of H. indica at the global level. CLIMEX software was used to model the distribution of H. indica and access to the influence of environmental variable on its global distribution. In total, 162 records of H. indica occurrence from 27 countries over 25 years was combined to generate the known distributi...