title: Mortality of captive British wartbiter crickets: implications for reintroduction programs.
abstract: A fungal infection was identified as the cause of a high mortality rate of captive wartbiter cricket (Decticus verrucivorus) nymphs at the London Zoo (United Kingdom) in 1994. This species is threatened with extinction in the United Kingdom and the animals concerned were part of a captive breeding and reintroduction program. Following these findings, reintroductions were postponed and release sites were used only where there were no extant wartbiter crickets.
authors.affiliation: Veterinary Science Group, Institute of Zoology, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Cunningham
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Croft
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Clarke
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pearce-Kelly
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000836:Animals, Zoo; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D006135:Gryllidae / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000382:microbiology*; D008131:London; D003904:Mitosporic Fungi / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009026:Mortality; D009758:Nymph