Fungi of entomopathogenic potential in Chytridiomycota and Blastocladiomycota, and in fungal allies of the Oomycota and Microsporidia

AbstractThe relationship between entomopathogenic fungi and their insect hosts is a classic example of the co-evolutionary arms race between pathogen and target host. The present review describes the entomopathogenic potential of Chytridiomycota and Blastocladiomycota fungi, and two groups of fungal allies: Oomycota and Microsporidia. The Oomycota (water moulds) are considered as a model biological control agent of mosquito larvae. Due to their shared ecological and morphological similarities, they had long been considered a part of the fungal kingdom; however, phylogenetic studies have since placed this group within the Straminipila. The Microsporidia are parasites of economically-important insects, including grasshoppers, lady beetles, bumblebees, colorado potato beetles and honeybees. They have been found to display some fungal characteristics, and phylogenetic studies suggest that they are related to fungi, either as a basal branch or sister group. The Blastocladiomycota and Chytridiomycota, named the lower fungi, historically were described together; however, molecular phylogenetic and ultrastructural research has classified them in their own phylum. They are considered parasites of ants, and of the larval stages of black flies, mosquitoes and scale insects.

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Observations on the predatory potential of Lutzia fuscana on Aedes aegypti larvae: implications for biological control (Diptera: Culicidae)

Fragmenta Entomologica ◽

10.4081/fe.2016.176 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 48 (2) ◽

pp. 137

Author(s):

Soujita Pramanik ◽

Sampa Banerjee ◽

Soumyajit Banerjee ◽

Goutam K. Saha ◽

Gautam Aditya

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Aedes Aegypti ◽

Biological Control Agent ◽

Instar Larva ◽

Control Agent ◽

The Body ◽

Larval Habitats ◽

Larval Stages ◽

Augmentative Release ◽

Predatory Potential

Among the natural predators, larval stages of the mosquito Lutzia fuscana (Wiedemann, 1820) (Diptera: Culicidae) bear potential as a biological control agent of mosquitoes. An estimation of the predatory potential of the larva of L. fuscana against the larva of the dengue vector Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) (Diptera: Culicidae) was made to highlight its use in vector management. Laboratory experiments revealed that the larva of L. fuscana consumes 19 to 24 A. aegypti larvae per day, during its tenure as IV instar larva. The consumption of A. aegypti larvae was proportionate to the body length (BL) and body weight (BW) of the predatory larva L. fuscana as depicted through the logistic regressions: y = 1 / (1 + exp(-(-2.09 + 0.35*BL))) and y = 1 / (1 + exp(-(0.4+ 0.06*BW))). While the prey consumption remained comparable among the days, the net weight gained by the L. fuscana larva showed a decreasing trend with the age. On the basis of the results, it is apparent that the larva of the mosquito L. fuscana can be used in the regulation of the mosquito A. aegypti through augmentative release, particularly, in the smaller mosquito larval habitats.

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Complex diversity in a mainly tropical group of ant parasitoids: Revision of the Orasema stramineipes species group (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eucharitidae)

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4401.1.1 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4401 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

ROGER A. BURKS ◽

JOHN M. HERATY ◽

CHRYSALYN DOMINGUEZ ◽

JASON L. MOTTERN

Keyword(s):

Biological Control Agent ◽

Sister Group ◽

Molecular Data ◽

Species Group ◽

Control Agent ◽

Wasmannia Auropunctata ◽

Secondary Infections ◽

Tropical America ◽

Morphological And Molecular Data ◽

The Tropics

Twenty-nine species are recognized in the Orasema stramineipes species group, including 22 new species in what is now the most diverse species group of the New World ant-parasitoid genus Orasema Cameron. Orasema aenea Gahan syn. n. is synonymized with O. freychei (Gemignani), the holotype of which has been rediscovered. Orasema smithi Howard syn. n. is synonymized with Orasema minutissima Howard. Orasema violacea Gemignani syn. n. and its replacement name Orasema gemignanii De Santis syn. n. are synonymized with O. worcesteri (Girault). Twenty-two species are described as new: O. arimbome Dominguez, Heraty & Burks n. sp., O. carchi Heraty, Burks & Dominguez n. sp., and the following 20 species by Burks, Heraty & Dominguez: O. chunpi n. sp., O. cozamalotl n. sp., O. evansi n. sp., O. hyarimai n. sp., O. kaspi n. sp., O. kulli n. sp., O. llanthu n. sp., O. llika n. sp., O. mati n. sp., O. nyamo n. sp., O. pirca n. sp., O. pisi n. sp., O. qillu n. sp., O. qincha n. sp., O. rikra n. sp., O. taku n. sp., O. tapi n. sp., O. torrensi n. sp., O. woolleyi n. sp., and O. yaax n. sp. The stramineipes-group has much greater diversity in tropical America than outside the tropics, and is much more diverse than its sister-group, the susanae-group, which is mainly present in temperate regions of Argentina. A hypothesis of phylogenetic relationships is proposed based on an analysis of 28S-D2 rDNA and cytochrome oxidase I (COI) for 14 stramineipes-group species. Species concepts were established using both morphological and molecular data. Most species in the stramineipes-group have a tropical distribution, with only a few species in temperate regions. Ant hosts for the group include Pheidole Westwood, Wasmannia Forel, and possibly Solenopsis Westwood (Formicidae: Myrmicinae). Orasema minutissima is a common parasitoid of Wasmannia auropunctata Roger in the Caribbean and has the potential to be a biological control agent in other areas of the world. Two distinct size morphs are recognized for O. minutissima, which are correlated with attacking either Wasmannia (small morph) or different castes of Pheidole (medium to large size morphs). Some species of Orasema have been regarded as pests due to scarring or secondary infections of leaves or fruit of banana, yerba mate or blueberry, but outbreaks are rare and the threat is usually temporary.

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Phylogeny of Echiura updated, with a revised taxonomy to reflect their placement in Annelida as sister group to Capitellidae

Invertebrate Systematics ◽

10.1071/is19020 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 34 (1) ◽

pp. 101 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ryutaro Goto ◽

James Monnington ◽

Marija Sciberras ◽

Isao Hirabayashi ◽

Greg W. Rouse

Keyword(s):

Molecular Phylogeny ◽

Deep Sea ◽

Sister Group ◽

Molecular Data ◽

Monterey Bay ◽

Phylogenetic Studies ◽

Littoral Zones ◽

Family Level ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Relationship

Echiura (commonly called spoon worms) are derived annelids that have an unsegmented sausage-shaped body with a highly extensible anterior end (i.e. a proboscis). Echiura currently contains two superfamilies: Echiurioidea (with Echiuridae, Urechidae and Thalassematidae) and Bonellioidea (with Bonelliidae, and Ikedidae). Ikedidae contains only Ikeda, which is distinctive in having a huge trunk, a highly elongate proboscis with stripes or dots, and numerous gonoducts. A recent molecular phylogeny of Echiura recovered Ikedidae as the sister group to Bonelliidae. However, due to relatively low support values for the monophyly of Bonelliidae, this relationship remains problematic. In this study, we reinvestigated the relationship of Bonelliidae and Ikedidae using an expanded dataset with more taxa and genes. In contrast to the previous results, our analyses strongly support that Ikeda is nested within Bonelliidae due to the placement of Maxmuelleria. On the basis of this result, we synonymise Ikedidae with Bonelliidae and transfer Ikeda to the latter, the diagnosis of which is amended. In addition, we synonymise Urechidae with its sister group Echiuridae because they share the synapomorphy of having anal chaetae rings. Furthermore, considering that recent phylogenetic studies have consistently recovered Echiura as the sister group to Capitelliidae within Annelida, we drop the rank of the echiuran clade to family-level and propose a revised classification: Thalassematidae with two subfamilies, Thalassematinae (with two tribes Echiurini and Thalassematini) and Bonelliinae. In addition, we identified a sample collected from the deep sea (~1820 m) of Monterey Bay, California, based on its molecular data. This terminal unexpectedly formed the sister group to the eight genera of Thalassematini, most members of which are inhabitants of littoral zones.

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Phylogeny and higher classification of the scale insects (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Coccoidea)*

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.1668.1.22 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 1668 (1) ◽

pp. 413-425 ◽

Cited By ~ 66

Author(s):

P. J. GULLAN ◽

L. G. COOK

Keyword(s):

Dna Sequences ◽

Phylogenetic Trees ◽

Nuclear Dna ◽

Sister Group ◽

Scale Insect ◽

Scale Insects ◽

Morphological Data ◽

Adult Males ◽

Plant Feeding ◽

Phylogenetic Studies

The superfamily Coccoidea contains nearly 8000 species of plant-feeding hemipterans comprising up to 32 families divided traditionally into two informal groups, the archaeococcoids and the neococcoids. The neococcoids form a monophyletic group supported by both morphological and genetic data. In contrast, the monophyly of the archaeococcoids is uncertain and the higher level ranks within it have been controversial, particularly since the late Professor Jan Koteja introduced his multi-family classification for scale insects in 1974. Recent phylogenetic studies using molecular and morphological data support the recognition of up to 15 extant families of archaeococcoids, including 11 families for the former Margarodidae sensu lato, vindicating Koteja’s views. Archaeococcoids are represented better in the fossil record than neococcoids, and have an adequate record through the Tertiary and Cretaceous but almost no putative coccoid fossils are known from earlier. In contrast, the sister group of the scale insects (Aphidoidea) has a more informative Jurassic and Triassic record. Relationships among most scale insect families are unresolved in phylogenetic trees based on nuclear DNA sequences, and most nodes in trees based on morphological data, including those from adult males, are poorly supported. Within the neococcoids, the Eriococcidae is not monophyletic and the monophyly of the Coccidae and Diaspididae may be compromised by the current family-level recognition of a few species-poor autapomorphic groups.

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Morphology-based phylogeny of the suckermouth armored catfishes, with emphasis on the Neoplecostominae (Teleostei: Siluriformes: Loricariidae)

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4264.1.1 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4264 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

EDSON H. L. PEREIRA ◽

ROBERTO E. REIS

Keyword(s):

Sister Group ◽

The Other ◽

Maximum Parsimony Analysis ◽

Phylogenetic Study ◽

Parsimony Analysis ◽

Phenotypic Characters ◽

Incertae Sedis ◽

Phylogenetic Studies ◽

Molecular Phylogenetic ◽

First Time

A phylogenetic study of the Loricariidae with emphasis on the Neoplecostominae is presented based on a maximum parsimony analysis of 268 phenotypic characters encompassing osteology, arthrology, and external morphology. Results support previous hypotheses of the monophyly of the Neoplecostominae and each of the included genera: Hirtella, Isbrueckerichthys, Kronichthys, Neoplecostomus, Pareiorhaphis, and Pareiorhina. In addition, previously undiscovered diversity was revealed within the subfamily as an additional genus-level taxon, herein described as Euryochus. Relationships among neoplecostomine genera are: (Kronichthys (Euryochus ((Hirtella + Pareiorhaphis) (Pareiorhina (Isbrueckerichthys + Neoplecostomus))))). Additional undescribed diversity was also detected among most neoplecostomine genera and the Hypoptopomatinae. In addition, recently discovered genera Nannoplecostomus and Microplecostomus were included in the analysis, and were identified as sequential sister-taxa to Neoplecostominae + Hypoptopomatinae, which are currently not included in any subfamily and regarded as incertae sedis in Loricariidae. The three species of Lithogenes were included in an encompassing phylogenetic analysis for the first time, and were identified as a monophyletic unit and sister group to all remaining loricariids. The other loricariid subfamilies were also corroborated as monophyletic, and presented the following interrelationships (Lithogeninae (Delturinae (Loricariinae (Hypostominae (Nannoplecostomus (Microplecostomus (Hypoptopomatinae + Neoplecostominae). The Neoplecostominae and its genera are phylogenetically diagnosed, and hypothesized relationships are compared to those of previous morphological and molecular phylogenetic studies.

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Temperature and Photoperiodic Response of Diapause Induction in Anastatus japonicus, an Egg Parasitoid of Stink Bugs

Insects ◽

10.3390/insects12100872 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (10) ◽

pp. 872

Author(s):

Can Zhao ◽

Yi Guo ◽

Zixin Liu ◽

Yue Xia ◽

Yuyan Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Biological Control Agent ◽

Developmental Regulation ◽

Exposure Period ◽

Instar Larva ◽

Egg Parasitoid ◽

Control Agent ◽

Photoperiodic Response ◽

Stink Bugs ◽

Larval Stages ◽

Long Term Storage

Anastatus japonicus Ashmead is a widely used biological control agent against stink bugs that can be successfully reared using the large eggs of the Chinese silkworm. In this study, environmental factors responsible for the induction of diapause in A. japonicus were investigated on host eggs of the Chinese silkworm. A. japonicus exhibited a facultative, mature larval diapause within its host eggs. Second–third instar larva are the most sensitive stages to diapause stimuli. The accumulation of diapause stimuli during all the larval stages maximized the diapause response. A short photoperiod of 10L:14D and temperature of 17 °C led to the occurrence of the highest diapause response, while a long photoperiod (14L:10D) and low temperatures (11 and 14 °C) prevented the diapause. A specific exposure period was required to reach high diapause incidence. Diapausing mature larvae had a significantly higher survival rate after 180 days storage at 10 °C than that of nondiapausing mature larvae. Taken together, results suggest methods that could be exploited in the developmental regulation, field-release pretreatment technology, and long-term storage of A. japonicus.

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Coccophagus scutellaris(Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae): A Highly Effective Biological Control Agent of Soft Scale Insects (Hemiptera: Coccidae) in Egypt

Psyche A Journal of Entomology ◽

10.1155/2011/431874 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 2011 ◽

pp. 1-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shaaban Abd-Rabou

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

Maximum Rate ◽

Biological Control Agent ◽

Control Agent ◽

The Other ◽

Scale Insects ◽

Northern Coast ◽

Soft Scale ◽

Coccus Hesperidum ◽

Saissetia Oleae

About 953000 individuals of the cosmopolitan parasitoid,Coccophagus scutellaris(Dalman) (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), were released and evaluated during 2009-2010 for the control of the following soft scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccidae) infesting the following economic crops in Egypt:Ceroplastes ruscion citrus in Beni Seuf,Ceroplastes floridensisComstock on citrus in Gharbiya,Coccus hesperidumL. on guava in Giza,Pulvinaria floccifera(Westwood) on mango in Sharqiya,Pulvinaria psidiiMaskell on mango in Ismailia,Saissetia coffeae(Walker) on olive in Marsa Matruh, andSaissetia oleae(Oliver) on olive in the Northern Coast. The population ofC. scutellarisshowed a significant correlation with the build up of the population of the soft scale insects population in all of the release sites studied. The maximum rate of parasitism of the other species of parasitoids associated with soft scale insects at the release sites decreased after the release ofC. scutellaris.

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Lecanicillium sabanense sp. nov. (Cordycipitaceae) a new fungal entomopathogen of coccids

Phytotaxa ◽

10.11646/phytotaxa.234.1.4 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 234 (1) ◽

pp. 63 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Juan S Chiriví-Salomón ◽

Giovanna Danies ◽

Silvia Restrepo ◽

Tatiana Sanjuan

Keyword(s):

Biological Control ◽

New Species ◽

Biological Control Agent ◽

Phylogenetic Analyses ◽

Scale Insect ◽

Control Agent ◽

Scale Insects ◽

Soft Scale ◽

Important Pest ◽

Fungal Entomopathogen

A new species of Lecanicillium was found associated with the soft scale insect Pulvinaria caballeroramosae (Coccidae), an important pest of Ficus soatensis (Moraceae) in Bogotá, Colombia. Lecanicillium sabanense sp. nov. differs from similar Lecanicillium spp. mainly in the size of the conidia, in the vertical arrangement of phialides on the host, and in the tomentose mycelium that sparsely covers the cuticle of the host. Phylogenetic analyses using ITS, SSU, LSU, TEF, RPB1, and RPB2 also confirmed the distinctness of this new species. Fungal epizootics were found on female soft scale insects, which may have implications for biological control in the forestry program of the city. The ecology of the fungus as well as its potential use as a biological control agent are further discussed.

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The life cycle ofGyliauchen volubilisNagaty, (Digenea: Gyliauchenidae) from the Red Sea

Journal of Helminthology ◽

10.1017/s0022149x11000186 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 86 (2) ◽

pp. 165-172 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

M.O. Al-Jahdali ◽

R.M. El-Said Hassanine

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle ◽

Post Infection ◽

Aquatic Vegetation ◽

Life Cycles ◽

Gulf Of Aqaba ◽

Larval Stages ◽

Phylogenetic Studies ◽

Molecular Phylogenetic ◽

Second Intermediate Host ◽

Siganus Rivulatus

AbstractAlthough nothing is known about gyliauchenid life cycles, molecular phylogenetic studies have placed the Gyliauchenidae Fukui, 1929 close to the Lepocreadiidae Odhner, 1905. The gyliauchenidGyliauchen volubilisNagaty, 1956 was found in the intestine of its type-host,Siganus rivulatus, a siganid fish permanently resident in a lagoon within the mangrove swamps on the Egyptian coast of the Gulf of Aqaba. Larval forms of this trematode (mother sporocysts, rediae and cercariae) were found in the gonads and digestive gland ofClypeomorus clypeomorus(Gastropoda: Cerithiidae), a common snail in the same lagoon. So, this life cycle ofG. volubiliswas elucidated under natural conditions: eggs are directly ingested by the snail; mother sporocysts and rediae reach their maturity 3–6 and 11–13 weeks post-infection; rediae contain 23–29 developing cercariae; fully developed cercariae are gymnocephalus, without penetration glands, emerge from the snail during the night 16–18 weeks post-infection and rapidly encyst on aquatic vegetation (no second intermediate host); encysted metacercariae are not progenetic; 4-day-old metacercariae encysted on filamentous algae fed toS. rivulatusdeveloped into fully mature worms 6–8 weeks post-infection. The cycle was completed in about 26 weeks and followed one of the three known patterns of lepocreadiid life cycles, and except for the gymnocephalus cercariae, the other larval stages are very similar to those of lepocreadiids. Generally, the life cycle ofG. volubilisimplicitly supports the phylogenetic relationship of Gyliauchenidae and Lepocreadiidae inferred from molecular phylogenetic studies.

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Museomics: Phylogenomics of the Moth Family Epicopeiidae (Lepidoptera) Using Target Enrichment

Insect Systematics and Diversity ◽

10.1093/isd/ixaa021 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Elsa Call ◽

Christoph Mayer ◽

Victoria Twort ◽

Lars Dietz ◽

Niklas Wahlberg ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Strong Support ◽

Sister Group ◽

Molecular Data ◽

Museum Specimens ◽

Target Enrichment ◽

History Museum ◽

Phylogenetic Studies ◽

A Genome ◽

Molecular Phylogenetic ◽

Genomic Studies

Abstract Billions of specimens can be found in natural history museum collections around the world, holding potential molecular secrets to be unveiled. Among them are intriguing specimens of rare families of moths that, while represented in morphology-based works, are only beginning to be included in genomic studies: Pseudobistonidae, Sematuridae, and Epicopeiidae. These three families are part of the superfamily Geometroidea, which has recently been defined based on molecular data. Here we chose to focus on these three moth families to explore the suitability of a genome reduction method, target enrichment (TE), on museum specimens. Through this method, we investigated the phylogenetic relationships of these families of Lepidoptera, in particular the family Epicopeiidae. We successfully sequenced 25 samples, collected between 1892 and 2001. We use 378 nuclear genes to reconstruct a phylogenetic hypothesis from the maximum likelihood analysis of a total of 36 different species, including 19 available transcriptomes. The hypothesis that Sematuridae is the sister group of Epicopeiidae + Pseudobistonidae had strong support. This study thus adds to the growing body of work, demonstrating that museum specimens can successfully contribute to molecular phylogenetic studies.

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