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Title: Mycobiota associated with larval mines of Thrypticus truncatus and T. sagittatus (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) on water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes, in Argentina.

Author
item HERNANDEZ, M.C. - USDA/ARS/SABCL
item PILDAIN, M.B. - FCEN-UBA PRHIDEB-CONICET
item SACCO, J. - UNIV DE BUENOS AIRES FCEN
item LOPEZ, S.E. - FCEN-UBA PRHIDEB-CONICET

Submitted to: Biodiversity Issues
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/27/2007
Publication Date: 3/4/2007
Citation: Biological Control 41:321-326

Interpretive Summary: Originally from South America, water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes, was introduced in most parts of the tropical and subtropical regions of the world, becoming a serious aquatic weed. Among the biocontrol candidates under study are the mining flies Thrypticus truncatus and T. sagittatus. The aim of this study was to document the fungi associated with T. truncatus and T. sagittatus mines in water hyacinth and check if at least one of them is a known pathogen for this weed. Twenty eight fungal species were isolated from the mines, and some of them (e.g. some Acremonium and Phoma species) have been previously quoted as pathogens for water hyacinth. This is the first study relating T. truncatus and T. sagittatus mines with fungal populations in South America. As a result of this study more research is needed to asses the pathogenicity of some fungi species on water hyacinth and their relationship with Thrypticus

Technical Abstract: Thrypticus truncatus is a candidate for biocontrol of water hyacinth; the larvae of this dipteran mine in the petioles and feed on the phloem in the vascular bundles. The mycobiota associated with T. truncatus and T. sagittatus mines was investigated during two surveys undertaken in the spring and autumn in the Delta of the Paraná River, Argentina. Isolations were made from the mines and larval feeding points, as well as from the larvae, following dissection of the petioles, and plated onto agar. Young petioles without mines and upper parts of the petiole without mines of the infested petioles were used as controls. Twenty eight fungal species were isolated from the mines. Pestalotiopsis guepinii, Mucor attenuatus, Phoma tropica, Achlya americana, Fusarium avenaceum, Cladosporium cladosporioides, Clonostachys rosea, Epicoccum purpurascens, Plectosporium tabacinum, Alternaria alternata and Acremonium sp. were the most common. Some of them were found in the feeding points. Cladosporium cladosporioides, Cytospora sp., Mucor attenuatus and Phoma tropica were present in the larvae isolations. The list of fungi in mines was compared with bibliographic information to see if the species found are known pathogens on water hyacinth or other species. This is the first study on mycobiota of T. truncatus and T. sagittatus mines in Argentina. Key words: Water hyacinth; Thrypticus truncatus; T. sagittatus; Mycobiota; Biological Control; Insect-microbial interaction.