Spotted wing Drosophila flies killed by a fungal disease in Mississippi

Authors: Sampson, Blair; Miller Butler, Melinda; Smith, Barbara; Adamczyk, John; LAYTON, BLAKE - Mississippi State University; COWLES, RICHARD - Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station; MANN, TOM - Mississippi Museum Of Natural Science; LI, DE-WEI - Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station; DARA, SURENDRA - University Of California - Cooperative Extension Service

Submitted to: Mississippi Vaccinium Journal
Publication Type: Popular Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/12/2017
Publication Date: 10/15/2017
Citation: Sampson, B.J., Miller Butler, M.A., Smith, B.J., Adamczyk Jr, J.J., Layton, B., Cowles, R., Mann, T., Li, D., Dara, S.K. 2017. Spotted wing Drosophila flies killed by a fungal disease in Mississippi. Mississippi Vaccinium Journal. 6:4-6.(Trade journal).

Interpretive Summary: A new fungal disease of Spotted Wing Drosophila Flies is described with notes on its potential for biological control.

Technical Abstract: We report on the first confirmed case of a fungal (Entomophthora spp.) epizootic on wild spotted wing Drosophila (SWD) populations visiting fig trees in Central Mississippi. Host behavior is typical of other fly hosts infected with Entomophthora; flies seek high spots in moist and dark microhabitats. Infection may be further enhanced when males copulate with diseases female SWD. The unusually cool and rainy June in Mississippi may have spurred this epizootic, providing some hope that this disease could be exploited to control SWD during the summer months.