Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-ndmmz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-30T10:20:03.162Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

THE FUNGUS ENTOMOPHTHORA PHYTONOMI PATHOGENIC TO THE ALFALFA WEEVIL, HYPERA POSTICA1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 May 2012

D. G. Harcourt
Affiliation:
Ottawa Research Station, Canada Department of Agriculture, Ottawa, Ontario
J. C. Guppy
Affiliation:
Ottawa Research Station, Canada Department of Agriculture, Ottawa, Ontario
D. M. MacLeod
Affiliation:
Insect Pathology Research Institute, Canadian Forestry Service, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
D. Tyrrell
Affiliation:
Insect Pathology Research Institute, Canadian Forestry Service, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Abstract

Entomophthora phytonomi Arthur, a pathogen recognized for many years under the name Entomophthora sphaerosperma Fres. as an important natural control agent in populations of the clover leaf weevil, Hypera punctata (Gyll.), has now been identified from the alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica (Gyll.). Both conidial and resting spore stages are described.

Early in the summer of 1973, the fungus was responsible for an epizootic in populations of the alfalfa weevil throughout much of east-central Ontario. In three study plots, mortality levels in larvae and cocoons ranged from 65–90% and 42–53%, respectively. This suggests that the fungus is capable of playing a significant role in the dynamics of weevil populations.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Entomological Society of Canada 1974

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arthur, J. C. 1886 a. Disease of clover-leaf weevil. Entomophthora phytonomi Arthur. 4th A. Rep. N.Y. agric. Exp. Stn (1885): 258262.Google Scholar
Arthur, J. C. 1886 b. A new larval Entomophthora. Bot. Gaz. 11: 1417.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Folsom, J. W. 1909. In The insect pests of clover and alfalfa. Bull. Univ. Ill. agric. Exp. Stn, No. 411, pp. 155164.Google Scholar
Garbowski, L. 1927. Sur les Entomophthorées. 2. Entomophthora (Tarichium) punctata sp. n. sur Phytonomus variabilis Hbst. et Entomophthora sphaerosperma Fresen. sur Pieris brassicae L. Prace Wydz. Chórob Róslin Pánstw. Inst. Nauk-Roln. W Bydgoszczy, No. 4, pp. 2544. (Polish; French summ.)Google Scholar
Harcourt, D. G., Mukerji, M. K., and Guppy, J. C.. 1974. Estimation of egg populations of the alfalfa weevil, Hypera postica (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Can. Ent. 106: 337347.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Herrick, G. W. and Hadley, C. H. Jr., 1922. The clover-leaf weevil. Bull Cornell Univ. agric. Exp. Stn, No. 411.Google Scholar
MacLeod, D. A. and Müller-Kögler, E.. 1970. Insect pathogens: species originally described from their resting spores mostly as Tarichium species (Entomophthorales: Entomophthoraceae). Mycologia 62: 3366.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Steinhaus, E. A. 1951. Diagnoses of diseased insects. Hilgardia 20: 647648.Google Scholar
Thaxter, R. 1888. In The Entomophthoreae of the United States. Mem. Boston Soc. nat. Hist., No. 4, pp. 172175.Google Scholar
Tower, D. G. and Fenton, F. A.. 1920. The clover-leaf weevil. Bull. U.S. Dep. Agric., No. 922.Google Scholar
U. S. Dept. Agr. 1956. The clover leaf weevil and its control. Farmer's Bull. 1484.Google Scholar
Zaprometov, N. G. 1928. [Materials for the mycoflora of Middle Asia, 2. Uzbekistan, Opyt. Stanc. zast. Rast., Tashkent 1–70.] (In Russian.)Google Scholar