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Title: FIRST RECORD OF CLONOSTACHYS ROSEA (ASCOMYCOTA: HYPOCREALES) AS AN ENTOMOPATHOGENIC FUNGUS OF ONCOMETOPIA TUCUMANA AND SONESIMIA GROSSA (HEMIPTERA: CICADELLIDAE) IN ARGENTINA

Author
item TOLEDO, A - UNIV LA PLATA, ARG
item VIRLA, E - UNIV LA PLATA, ARG
item Humber, Richard
item PARADELL, S - UNIV LA PLATA, ARG
item LOPEZ-LASTRA, C - UNIV LA PLATA, ARG

Submitted to: Journal of Invertebrate Pathology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/11/2005
Publication Date: 3/31/2006
Citation: Toledo, A.V., Virla, E., Humber, R.A., Paradell, S.L., Lopez-Lastra, C.C. First record of clonostachys rosea (ascomycota: hypocreales) as an entomopathogenic fungus of oncometopia tucumana and sonesimia grossa (hemiptera: cicadellidae) in argentina. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. 92(1):7-10.

Interpretive Summary: This paper presents one of a continuing series of articles reporting research on the fungal pathogens that attack pest insects in Argentina. This article describes a fungal pathogen affecting two species of sucking insects in the leafhopper family (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae)that are closely related to the infamous glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS), the vector of the plant-pathogenic bacterium that causes Pierce's disease of grapevines. This Argentine study found incidences of and mortality caused by natural infections of Argentine sharpshooter species by CLONOSTACHYS ROSEA, a fungus not widely known from any location or hosts worldwide as a insect-pathogenic fungus. The fungus is described and illustrated, and its potential for use as a biocontrol agent against species of the family Cicadellidae (to which all sharpshooter insects belong) is discussed. The possible utility of this fungus to control GWSS in the United States remains untested at present.

Technical Abstract: CLONOSTACHYS ROSEA Deuteromycota: Hyphomycetes) has been reported as a mycoparasite of fungi, nematodes and as saproophyte in soil. Nevertheless C. ROSEA has never been referred as a pathogen of insects up to date. We give a further extension of habitat and geographic distribution of the fungus as well as an abroad taxonomic description of the fungal isolates of C. rosea from insect hosts. Cicadellidae "leafhoppers" is a large group of insects that is very important to agriculture as vectors of plant pathogens (virus and bacteria), as representative species of this group in Argentina are present: SONESIMIA GROSSA Signoret and ONCOMETOPIA TUCUMANA Schroder that are in the same group as the well known glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS), HOMALODISCA COAGULATA, that has became a major insect pest of grapes in California. In the present paper we report the first record of C. ROSEA as an entomopathogenic fungus attacking of O. TUCUMANA and S. GROSSA (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in Argentina.