Entomopathogenic fungi associated with insect hibernating in underground shelters.

Abstract

In the period 2001-2004, several hundreds of undergroundshelters (mainlyab and onedgalleries, caves, and cellars)inW and SWBohemia(CzechRepublic) were explored for insectcadavers with visi­ blefungalgrowth. At27localities, 94infectedcadavers of sixinsecttaxa were collected.Themostfre­ quentinfectedinsects were 7 Yiphosadubitata, Scoliopteryxlibatrix ( Lepidoptera;Geometridae and Noctuidae , resp.) and unidentifedmosquitoes( Diptera , Culicidae) . On the collectedcadavers, alto­ ge the r20 species of microfungi(includingsterilemycelia) were recorded, most of them belonging to entomopathogens. The most frequent was Paecilomyces farinosus (36 % of all samples) and Cordyceps sp.(15%)whichhadaffinityto C. tuberculata and C.riverae . Closeassociation with insects was shownby Cordyceps sp.( with Triphosadubitata) and Conidiobolusdestruens ( with unidentified mosquitoes). On the contrary, Paecilomycesfarinosus was recordedonfivedifferentinsect species . Also several other interesting species were found (e.g. Hirsutella guignardii, Engyodontium cf. parvisporum) , probably not yet recorded from the Czech Republic. Microphotographs of some microfungi studied are included.