Determination of fungal flora on Anisandrus dispar Fabricius and Xylosandrus germanus Blandford (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

Abstract

Ambrosia beetles Anisandrus dispar Fabricius and Xylosandrus germanus Blandford (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) are important pests of hazelnut in Turkey. The beetles can harm the trees by carrying plant diseases in addition to direct damage, by tunneling the trees and farming symbiotic fungi there. In this study, fungal flora (symbiotic, entomopathogenic, plant pathogenic and other fungi) was investigated on these two pest species, in hazelnut orchards of Samsun province in Black Sea region of Turkey, for developing alternative control methods in future. Female insects were examined in two sections such as mycangia and body parts during fungi isolation. In addition, diseased cadavers of the beetles were used for isolation of entomopathogenic fungi. As a result, a total of 151 isolates belonging to different fungus species including Ambrosiella hartigii, Acremonium spp., Lecanicillium muscarium, Paecilomyces sp., Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae, Fusarium sp., F. oxysporum, F. proliferatum, F. solani, Ophiostoma spp., Pestalotiopsis spp., Aspergillus wentii sp., Trichothecium sp. and Alternaria sp., were isolated from females of A. dispar and X. germanus: 57 were obtained from mycangia, 70 from body parts and 24 from diseased cadavers. Especially, A. hartigii was found intensely on mycangia and body parts of both beetles, and was firstly identified as a primary symbiotic fungus in Turkey. © 2018 International Society for Horticultural Science. All Rights Reserved.