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Pathogenicity of Metarhizium anisopliae (Metsch.) Sorokin and Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin, to three adult fruit fly species: Ceratitis capitata (Weidemann), C. rosa var. fasciventris Karsch and C. cosyra (Walker) (Diptera :Tephritidae)

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Abstract

The pathogenicity of two isolates of Beauveria bassiana and 12 of Metarhizium anisopliae towards adult fruit flies, Ceratitis capitata and Ceratitis rosa var. fasciventris was tested in the laboratory. Fruit flies were exposed to dry conidia evenly spread on velvet material covering the inner side of a cylindrical plastic tube. All isolates tested were pathogenic to both species of fruit flies. Mortality ranged from 7 to 100% in C. capitata and from 11.4 to 100% in C. rosa var. fasciventris at 4 days post-inoculation. Six isolates, M. anisopliae ICIPE 18, 20, 32, 40, 41 and 62, were highly pathogenic to both C. capitata and C. rosa var. fasciventris. The LT90 values of the most pathogenic isolates ranged between 3–4 days in both insects. Because of the difficulties in rearing C. cosyra, only the isolates that were highly pathogenic to both C. rosa var. fasciventris and C. capitata were tested against adult C. cosyra. They caused mortality of between 72–78% at 4 days post-inoculation. The LT90 values in all the isolates did not exceed 4 days. One of the most pathogenic isolates, M. anisopliae ICIPE 20, was evaluated against C. capitata and C. rosa var. fasciventris in cage experiments using threeautoinoculators (maize cob, cheesecloth and Petri dish) in an autoinoculative deviceconsisting of plastic mineral bottle. Mortality of between 70–93% was observed in flies of both species that were captured from the cages and held under laboratoryconditions. These results indicate the possibility of fruit fly suppression withentomopathogenic fungi using an autoinoculative device.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE), P.O Box 30772, Nairobi, Kenya

    Susan Dimbi, Nguya K. Maniania, Slawomir A. Lux & Sunday Ekesi

  2. Zoology Department, Kenyatta University, P.O Box, Nairobi, Kenya

    Susan Dimbi & Jones K. Mueke

Authors
  1. Susan Dimbi
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  2. Nguya K. Maniania
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  3. Slawomir A. Lux
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  4. Sunday Ekesi
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  5. Jones K. Mueke
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Dimbi, S., Maniania, N.K., Lux, S.A. et al. Pathogenicity of Metarhizium anisopliae (Metsch.) Sorokin and Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin, to three adult fruit fly species: Ceratitis capitata (Weidemann), C. rosa var. fasciventris Karsch and C. cosyra (Walker) (Diptera :Tephritidae). Mycopathologia 156, 375–382 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:MYCO.0000003579.48647.16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:MYCO.0000003579.48647.16

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