Abstract
ABSTRACT: The citrus scale insect Praelongorthezia praelonga (Douglas), a major pest of citrus and other economically important crops, has only two commonly documented natural enemies: an entomopathogenic strain of the fungus Colletotrichum nymphaeae (Pass.) Aa and several parasitoids. The entomopathogenic strain of C. nymphaeae, formerly recognized under the synonym C. gloeosporioides f. sp. ortheziidae, is under development for commercial application as a biological control agent in citrus in Brazil-the top exporter of citrus globally. The synonomy of C. gloeosporioides f. sp. ortheziidae with C. nymphaeae remains based on limited DNA sequence data and without morphological study. To qualify for future approval as a biological control agent by federal agencies in Brazil and the European Union, the circumscription of a microorganism must be explicit and without ambiguities. Herein, through morphological study and phylogenetic analysis of five DNA regions we clarify the circumscription and affinity of entomopathogenic C. nymphaeae and describe it as a new variety.
Highlights
Colletotrichum Corda (Ascomycota: Sordiariomycetes: Glomerallaceae) is a cosmopolitan and speciose genus of fungi comprised largely of plant symbionts (Damm et al, 2012; Hanlin, 1998)
The host range within the genus is broad with both pathogenic and endophytic species reported from all major lineages of land plants (MacKenzie et al, 2009; Manamgoda et al, 2013; Photita et al, 2005)
Colletotrichum fiorinae was described from the hemlock scale insect Fiorna externa Ferris; C. nymphaeae is a widespread plant pathogen in which entomopathogencity is an exception and limited to strains isolated from the citrus scale insect Praelongorthezia praelonga (Douglas)
Summary
Colletotrichum Corda (Ascomycota: Sordiariomycetes: Glomerallaceae) is a cosmopolitan and speciose genus of fungi comprised largely of plant symbionts (Damm et al, 2012; Hanlin, 1998). Colletotrichum fiorinae was described from the hemlock scale insect Fiorna externa Ferris; C. nymphaeae is a widespread plant pathogen in which entomopathogencity is an exception and limited to strains isolated from the citrus scale insect Praelongorthezia praelonga (Douglas) Entomopathogenic C. nymphaeae is of particular interest because the citrus scale insect (P. praelonga), its primary host, is a serious pest of Citrus spp. and other major economic plants such as coffee, figs and ornamentals (Garcia-Roa, 1995). Citrus scale is considered a pest wherever it is found because of its elevated reproductive rate and highly polyphagous nature (Kondo et al, 2013). The regularly occurring natural enemies of citrus scale are currently limited to C. nymphaeae and several parasitoids (Kondo et al, 2013; Ramos et al, 2018). Natural outbreaks of the fungus with high mortality of citrus scale are observed in conventional citrus groves; outbreaks appear to be density dependent with increased prevalence during rainy and warm weather (Mascarin et al, 2016)
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