Entomopathogenic Fungus Neozygites fumosa on the Cassava Mealybug

What is it about?

Neozygites fumosa(Speare) Remaudière & Keller (Zygomycetes: Entomophthorales) was found in 1994 for the first time as a pathogen of cassava mealybug,Phenacoccus herreniCox & Williams (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), in Brazil. Infection levels of 9.3–64.6% of scales were found in fields in Cruz das Almas and São Gonçalo, Bahia. The fungus produces globose hyphal bodies (9.5–14.2 μm diameter) and ellipsoid to broadly fusoid, tetranucleate primary conidia (16.5 ± 0.5 × 8.1 ± 0.9 μm). Few capilliconidia and no zygospores (resting spores) were observed. The interphasic nuclei (1.2–1.8 μm diameter) showed an unexpected quantity of condensed (and readily stainable) chromatin.N. fumosais being studied further as a potentially significant biocontrol agent of cassava mealybug in Northeastern Brazil.

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