Pests > Pest Management > Biological control > Bioagents – microbial > Entomophthorales fungi, Tarophagus, Tonga



Pests > Pest Management > Biological control > Bioagents – microbial > Entomophthorales fungi, Tarophagus, Tonga

Pests Pest Management Biological control Bioagents – microbialEntomophthorales fungi, Tarophagus, Tonga

Entomophthorales, insect pathogens

February 2006. Recenty, when in Vava’u, Tonga, conducting an insect pest survey, dead taro planthopper (Tarophagus proserpina ( Kirkaldy) ( Hemiptera:Delphacidae) adults were found on taro (Colocasia esculenta) stuck to the leaves with wings apart. Any information on possible entomopathogens known to infect the taro planthopper or closely related species was requested.

The insects are infected by a fungal pathogen in the order Entomophthorales. These pathogens, which are known to attack Delphacids, typically produce rhizoids to anchor the dead insect host to the substrate and then the fungus erupts through the inter-segmental membranes. The fungus then actively discharges spores (conidia) into the air, forming a “halo” around the dead host.