Susceptibility of adult Aethina tumida (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) to entomopathogenic fungi.
Aethina tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) is an invasive parasite species in populations of honey bees, Apis mellifera L. Aiming toward substitution of chemical control, we here identified a naturally occurring fungal pathogen of adult A. tumida from its endemic range in South Africa [Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff) Sorokin variety anisopliae strain FI-203]. The susceptibility of adult beetles (n = 400) to this fungus and to three other generalist entomopathogenic fungal isolates [Metarhizium anisopliae, Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin, and Hirsutella illustris Minter & Brady] was assessed using spore suspension bioassays. The data revealed significantly increased mortality in the B. bassiana (74.00 +/- 8.94%) and M. anisopliae variety anisopliae (28.00 +/- 16.43%) tests but not in the H. illustris (2.00 +/- 4.47%) and M. anisopliae (12.00 +/- 8.37%) groups. The results indicate a potential for entomopathogenic fungi as an alternative control of A. tumida.
Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, P.O. Box 94, Grahamstown 6140, South Africa.
T M
TM
Muerrle
P
P
Neumann
J F
JF
Dames
H R
HR
Hepburn
M P
MP
Hill
D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000469:parasitology; D001681:Biological Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000382:microbiology*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000737:chemistry; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000235:genetics; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D005658:Fungi / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010572:Pest Control, Biological / Q000379:methods*; D013019:South Africa; D013172:Spores, Fungal / Q000502:physiology; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D014774:Virulence / Q000502:physiology
D017931:DNA Primers; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer