Susceptibility of three orthopteran species to infection by Metarhizium acridum (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae)

Abstract

AbstractOutbreaks of three orthopteran species—Tropidacris collaris (Stoll), Cornops frenatum frenatum (Marschall) and Parascopas obesus (Giglio-Tos)—occurred in three different regions of Brazil during the summers of 2012 and 2013. Insects were observed causing severe damage in commercial crops and subsistence farming areas. In this study, the three species were shown to be susceptible to infection with an oil-based formulation of the fungus Metarhizium acridum under laboratory conditions. In this article, we briefly discuss insect mortality levels for each species and behavioural response to infection. This is the first report of the pathogenicity of the entomopathogenic fungus M. acridum to P. obesus, C. f. frenatum and T. collaris.