A wild, forest-dwelling cockroach from the subfamily Ectobiidae (order Blattodea) in a nature reserve in Cavalcante, in the state of Goiás, Brazil, was found to be infected by a new, genetically distinct species in the Metarhizium flavoviride species complex that we describe here as Metarhizium blattodeae. The status of this fungus as a new species is supported by both multigenic sequence compa...

In an initial attempt to characterise single-spore isolates from Metarhizium anisopliae wild-type strain V275, three genetically identical spontaneous pr1A- and pr1B-deficient mutants were detected. These mutants were identified by Nested-PCR amplification and verified by Southern hybridisation. Sequencing and comparison of the highly conserved sequences of 28S rDNA domains 9-11 confirmed that ...

Destruxins (DTXs) are cyclic depsipeptides produced by many Metarhizium isolates that have long been assumed to contribute to virulence of these entomopathogenic fungi. We evaluated the virulence of 20 Metarhizium isolates against insect larvae and measured the concentration of DTXs A, B, and E produced by these same isolates in submerged (shaken) cultures. Eight of the isolates (ARSEF 324, 724...

The Green Revolution led to an increased use of synthetic pesticides, causing environmental pollution. As alternative, biopesticides made from entomopathogenic agents such as fungi have been sought. This study aimed design and evaluate the performance a harvester machine for efficiently collecting spores Metarhizium anisopliae Beauveria bassiana grown on rice corn substrates. spore yield was es...

Within-host competition is an important factor in host-parasite relationships, yet most studies consider interactions involving only single parasite species. We investigated the interaction between a virulent obligate entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium anisopliae var. anisopliae, and a normally avirulent, opportunistic fungal pathogen, Aspergillus flavus, in their leaf-cutting ant host, Acrom...

Metarhizium robertsii is a common soil fungus that occupies a specialized ecological niche as an endophyte and an insect pathogen. Previously, we showed that the endophytic capability and insect pathogenicity of Metarhizium are coupled to provide an active method of insect-derived nitrogen transfer to a host plant via fungal mycelia. We speculated that in exchange for this insect-derived nitrog...

Rhynchophorus ferrugineus is considered the worst pest of palm species, and few natural enemies are reported for this parasite in its area of origin. Here, we report the first recovery of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium pingshaense associated with R. ferrugineus from Vietnam. The morphological, biochemical, and toxicological features of this strain were studied and compared with those o...

Seven termite species (Isoptera) from five families were tested for disease susceptibility against the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae using a standard protocol: Mastotermes darwiniensis (Mastotermitidae), Hodotermopsis sjoestedti (termopsidae), Hodotermes mossambicus (Hodotermitidae), Kalotermes flavicollis (Kalotermitidae), Reticulitermes flavipes and Prorhinotermes canalifrons...