The life cycle of the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis tropicalis and its implications for future experimental studies

Caenorhabditis (Nematoda) is a cosmopolitan genus, but little is known about the biology and ecology of many of its species. This study aims to describe the life cycle of Caenorhabditis tropicalis and discuss the implications of its life cycle in future experimental studies. The wild-type JU1428 strain of C. tropicalis was provided by the Caenorhabditis Genetics Center. The experiments were carried out at 25°C in Nematoda growth medium seeded with the bacterium Escherichia coli (OP50 strain). Under these conditions, the egg hatching time was 11.3 h ± 0.5, and the hatching rate was 70%. The body length of the individuals increased linearly until the first egg-laying. Caenorhabditis tropicalis underwent four moults and the first egg was laid by the hermaphrodites 48 h ± 1 after the hatching of the initial eggs. The life cycle is short and quite similar to that of C. elegans. The easy cultivation, ability to self-fertilize, occupation of little space in the laboratory, short life cycle and easy acquisition from the Caenorhabditis Genetics Center or by isolating from the natural environment makes C. tropicalis a species of high potential as a model organism in experimental studies.