Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6287816 | Fungal Biology | 2016 | 11 Pages |
â¢Metarhizium blattodeae was described from a forest-dwelling cockroach in Brazil.â¢Gene sequence and MALDI-TOF evidence support M. blattodeae as a new species.â¢High mortality of a domestic cockroach pest after 10 d was caused by this fungus.
A wild, forest-dwelling cockroach from the subfamily Ectobiidae (order Blattodea) in a nature reserve in Cavalcante, in the state of Goiás, Brazil, was found to be infected by a new, genetically distinct species in the Metarhizium flavoviride species complex that we describe here as Metarhizium blattodeae. The status of this fungus as a new species is supported by both multigenic sequence comparisons and protein profiles generated by MALDI-TOF (matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight) mass spectrometry. This is one of the first reports of a naturally occurring fungal pathogen affecting any sylvatic (forest-dwelling) cockroach from any part of the world. M. blattodeae caused up to 96Â % mortality of Periplaneta americana nymphs (a serious peridomestic cockroach species) after 10Â d.