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Title: ENTOMOPHTHORA FERDINANDII (ZYGOMYCETES: ENTOMOPHTHORALES) CAUSING NATURAL INFESTATIONS OF MUSCAE DOMESTICA (DIPTERA: MUSCIDAE) IN ARGENTINA

Author
item LOPEZ LASTRA, C. - UNIV. LA PLATA, ARGENTINA
item SIRI, A. - UNIV. LA PLATA, ARGENTINA
item GARCIA, J. - UNIV. LA PLATA, ARGENTINA
item EILENBERG, J. - ROYAL VET. AGRIC. U., DK
item Humber, Richard

Submitted to: Mycopathologia
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/30/2005
Publication Date: 4/10/2006
Citation: Lopez Lastra, C.C., Siri, A., Garcia, J.J., Eilenberg, J., Humber, R.A. 2006. Entomophthora ferdinandii (zygomycetes: entomophthorales) causing natural infestations of muscae domestica (diptera: muscidae) in argentina. Mycopathologia. 161(4):251-254.

Interpretive Summary: Flies are troublesome pests in poultry houses throughout the world and efforts have been conducted worldwide to develop fungi for biological control agents. Together with Argentinean colleagues studying fungi pathogenic for insects, we report the presence of ENTOMOPHTHORA MUSCAE species complex affecting house flies in Argentina. This is the first report of the fungal pathogen, ENTOMOPHTHORA FERDINANDII, from the New World and adds to the available morphological information about this little reported member of the E. MUSCAE species complex. We also include an obligatory spelling correction for the name of this fungus. Significantly high levels of mortality against houseflies were found, as is the seasonal pattern of occurrence of the fungus against these flies. This paper provides a basis for further studies of this fungus as a potential biological control agent for use in poultry houses where house flies are chronic pests.

Technical Abstract: The identity and activity of an entomopathogenic fungus belonging to the Entomophthora muscae species complex and infecting Musca domestica in poultry houses from La Plata, Argentina, is reported. Two years of surveys on the natural prevalence of entomopathogenic fungi in house flies indicated that Entomophthora caused infections between September 2001 and September 2003. Primary conidia of this Entomophthora were 29.5 1.2 x 23.4 2.4 m and contained, on average, 10.5 0.1 nuclei (range: 7--15) with an average diameter of 4.8 0.1 m. This fungus is identified as E. ferdinandii Keller (this specific epithet includes a nomenclaturally required spelling correction); this is a first record of E. ferdinandii in South America and of any member of the E. muscae species complex from flies in Argentina. Data on natural prevalence ranged from 0-68.4% within host fly populations. The highest natural infection percentages were observed during the spring of 2001 (50.6%) and the autumn of 2002 and 2003 (33.2 and 68.4%, respectively).