MYCOBIOTA ASSOCIATED WITH THE COFFEE BERRY BORER HYPOTHENEMUS HAMPEI (FERRARI) (COLEOPTERA: SCOLYTIDAE) IN CHIAPAS, MEXICO

Authors: PEREZ, JEANNETH - COLEGIO FRONTERA, MX; INFANTE, FRANCISO - COLEGIO FRONTERA, MX; Vega, Fernando; HOLGUIN, FRANCISCO - COLEGIO FRONTERA, MX; MACIAS, JORGE - COLEGIO FRONTERA, MX; VALLE, JAVIER - COLEGIO FRONTERA, MX; NIETO, GUADALUPE - COLEGIO FRONTERA, MX; Peterson, Stephen; Kurtzman, Cletus; O Donnell, Kerry

Submitted to: Mycological Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/5/2003
Publication Date: 7/12/2003
Citation: Perez, J., Infante, F., Vega, F.E., Holguin, F., Macias, J., Valle, J., Nieto, G., Peterson, S.W., Kurtzman, C.P., O Donnell, K. 2003. Mycobiota associated with the coffee berry borer hypothenemus hampei (ferrari) (coleoptera: scolytidae) in chiapas, mexico. Mycological Research.

Interpretive Summary: The coffee berry borer is the most devastating pest of coffee throughout the world. Eggs are deposited inside coffee berries, and insects feed on the coffee seed, severely reducing yields. The relationship between the coffee berry borer and fungi is not known. A survey was carried out in coffee plantations in Chiapas, Mexico to collect and identify fungi associated with the insects' cuticle, gut, feces, and the cavaties made by the insect inside the coffee berry. Forty fungal species were found to be associated with the insect. This information will prove useful to coffee scientists, as it indicates that there isn't a specific association between the insect and a particular fungus, as was previously thought.

Technical Abstract: Field surveys were carried out in coffee plantations in Chiapas, Mexico, to collect and identify fungi associated with the cuticle, gut, feces and the galleries of the coffee berry borer Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari). Insects and coffee berries containing galleries were collected in three coffee farms at three different altitudes: Rosario Izapa (425m), La Alianza (700m) and Monteperla (950m). An additional sample consisting of coffee berry borers reared in the laboratory on meridic diet was also included. Results show that there is a great diversity of fungi associated with this insect: 187 cultures including 40 species distributed in 22 genera were isolated. Three of these are undescribed species; two of them belong to the genus Penicillium and one to Hanseniaspora. Most of the species were collected from the cuticle of the insect, and the presence of fungi was not correlated with altitude. Fusarium, Penicillium, Candida and Aspergillus were the dominant genera with percentage abundance of 26.4, 18.7, 13.4 and 12.5%, respectively. The recovery of fungi from the galleries was significantly lower than from the insect's body. The present study provides a detailed description of the mycobiota associated with H. hampei and represents a significant advance in the understanding of the relationship between this insect and fungi associated with it.