Abstract
The occurrence, species diversity and some aspects of taxonomical affinity and host selectivity of acaropathogenic fungi associated with phytophagous, saprotrophic and predacious mites in Poland and other European countries were investigated on wild and cultivated plants, in insect feeding sites under the bark and in decayed wood. From among 33 species of fungi affecting mites only five species of Entomophthorales were separated and the most numerous were Neozygites floridana mostly on Tetranychus urticae, N. abacaridis on a few eriophyid species, and Conidiobolus coronatus attacking gamasid mites most frequently of the genus Dendrolaelaps. The most frequent mite pathogens occurring in mite communities on plants and in wood infested by insects were of the genus Hirsutella. Until now 13 of their form-species have been recognized in these habitats, but only H. kirchneri, H. necatrix and H. thompsonii (including its variety synnematosa) can be treated as exclusive oligophagous pathogens of phytophagous mites, though their potential host range seems to embrace only selected eriophyid or tarsonemid mites. Taxonomical differentiation of fungal strains was based on close morphological observations and molecular analysis of ITS region sequences. Two new species of acaropathogenic fungi were described in these studies. Hirsutella danubiensis sp. nov. was found in the tetranychid T. urticae, whereas H. vandergeesti sp. nov. affected phytoseiid mites of the genera Amblyseius, Neoseiulus, Seiulus and Typhlodromus, and the tarsonemid Tarsonemus lacustris.
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Acknowledgements
The authors wish to express their sincere thanks to Profs. Jan Boczek, Danuta Kropczyńska-Linkiewicz (SGGW-Agricultural University in Warsaw), and Drs. Anna Skoracka, Wojciech Magowski (A. Mickiewicz University in Poznań), and Dariusz Gwiazdowicz (University of Life Sciences in Poznań) for identification of host mites. We are indebted to Romana Lipońska, M.A. and Dr. Teresa Bałazy (A. Mickiewicz University in Poznań) for preparing the Latin diagnoses and the English translation. Our sincere thanks also go to Prof. Marek Tomalak (Institute of Plant Protection in Poznań) and Dr. Damian Józefczyk (Research Centre for Agricultural and Forest Environment in Poznań), for their help and assistance with preparation of figures.
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Bałazy, S., Miętkiewski, R., Tkaczuk, C. et al. Diversity of acaropathogenic fungi in Poland and other European countries. Exp Appl Acarol 46, 53–70 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-008-9207-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10493-008-9207-1