First record of Fusarium verticillioides as an entomopathogenic fungus of grasshoppers.

SA Pelizza1,2a*, SA Stenglein3b, MN Cabello1c, MI Dinolfo3d and CE Lange2e

1Instituto de Botánica Carlos Spegazzini, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata
2Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (CEPAVE), CCT-La Plata-CONICET-UNLP, Calle 2 # 584, La Plata (1900), Argentina
3Laboratorio de Biología Funcional y Biotecnología (BIOLAB)-CEBB-CONICET, Facultad de Agronomía de Azul, UNCPBA, Republica de Italia # 780, Azul (7300), Argentina

Abstract

Fusarium verticillioides (Saccardo) Nirenberg (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) is the most common fungus reported on infected corn kernels and vegetative tissues, but has not yet been documented as being entomopathogenic for grasshoppers. Grasshoppers and locusts represent a large group of insects that cause economic damage to forage and crops. Tropidacris collaris (Stoll) (Orthoptera: Acridoidea: Romaleidae) is a large and voracious grasshopper that in recent years has become an increasingly recurrent and widespread pest in progressively more greatly extended areas of some of in Argentina’s northern provinces, with chemical insecticides being currently the only means of control. During February and March of 2008-09, nymphs and adults of T. collaris were collected with sweep nets in dense woodland vegetation at a site near Tres Estacas in western Chaco Province, Argentina, and kept in screened cages. F. verticillioides was isolated from insects that died within 10 days and was cultured in PGA medium. Pathogenicity tests were conducted and positive results recorded. Using traditional and molecular-biological methods, an isolate of F. verticillioides was obtained from T. collaris, and its pathogenecity in the laboratory was shown against another harmful grasshopper, Ronderosia bergi (Stål) (Acridoidea: Acrididae: Melanoplinae). The mortality caused by F. verticillioides on R. bergi reached 58 ± 6.53% by 10 days after inoculation. This is the first record of natural infection caused by F. verticillioides in grasshoppers.

Keywords: Acrididae, Orthoptera, Ronderosia bergi, Tropidacris collaris, Chaco Province, Argentina

Correspondence: a* pelizza@cepave.edu.ar, b stenglein@faa.unicen.edu.ar, c mcabello@netverk.com.ar, d ines_dinolfo@hotmail.com, e carlosl@cepave.edu.ar,*Corresponding author

Received: 15 April 2010 | Accepted: 6 October 2010 | Published: 29 May 2011

ISSN: 1536-2442 | Volume 11, Number 70

Pelizza SA, Stenglein SA, Cabello MN, Dinolfo MI, Lange CE. 2011. First record of Fusarium verticillioides as an entomopathogenic fungus of grasshoppers. Journal of Insect Science 11:70 available online: insectscience.org/11.70


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