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Activity Against Musca domestica of Hypocrealean Fungi Isolated from Culicids in Central Brazil and Formulated in Vermiculite

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Abstract

Musca domestica L. is a cosmopolitan nuisance of high sanitary importance. Entomopathogenic fungi are innovative and attractive tools for integrated control of the housefly to overcome insufficient levels of control caused by increasing resistance of this pest against chemical insecticides. High virulence of a fungal strain is a prerequisite to develop a mycoinsecticide, and the present study investigated the potential of hypocrealean fungi from the genera Beauveria, Clonostachys, Cordyceps, Akanthomyces, Metarhizium, and Tolypocladium, isolated from mosquitoes in Central Brazil against M. domestica. The highest mortalities (larvae, pupae, and adults) were caused by Metarhizium humberi IP 478 (98%) and IP 421 (90%), Metarhizium anisopliae IP 432 (85%), Beauveria bassiana IP 433 (82%), and Tolypocladium cylindrosporum IP 425 (68%) after a 23-day exposure of initially pre-pupating third instar larvae to conidia mixed with vermiculite. Lethal concentrations to kill 90% of adults of IP 433 and IP 478 were 5 × 107 and 108 conidia g−1 substrate, respectively. Fifty percent of adults were killed within 4 to 5 days of exposure initially as pupae close to emergence to substrate treated with conidia of IP 478 or IP 433 at 1.1 × 108 conidia g−1, respectively. The other fungal strains tested were less virulent. The results demonstrate high potentials for conidial preparations in vermiculite of IP 433 and IP 478 as candidates for the biological control of both pre-pupating larvae, pupae, and emerging adults of houseflies.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Lic. Graciela Minardi from the CEPAVE for her contribution in statistical analysis.

Funding

This study was supported by CAPES (Coordination of the Improvement of Higher Education; Brasília, Brazil) Science without Borders funds (PVE 71/2013, 149988) and scholarships to M.E.R.P., K.S., M.D.G.F., C.M., and R.A.H. We also thank the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) of Brazil for grants to É.K.K.F. (PQ 308850/2015–7) and C.L. (PQ 308189/2013–2).

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Contributions

CL, RAH and ÉKKF conceived the research. MERP, ÉKKF and CL designed the experiments. MERP, KRS, MDGF and CM performed the experiments. CL, MERP and RAH wrote the paper. All authors read and approved the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christian Luz.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Edited by Marcos R de Faria

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Richard A. Humber has retired from the USDA-ARS Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research Unit, Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health, Ithaca, NY, USA.

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Páramo, M.E.R., dos Santos, K.R., Filgueiras, M.D.G. et al. Activity Against Musca domestica of Hypocrealean Fungi Isolated from Culicids in Central Brazil and Formulated in Vermiculite. Neotrop Entomol 51, 474–482 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-022-00963-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13744-022-00963-w

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