Season-long infection of diverse hosts by the entomopathogenic fungus Batkoa major

PLoS One. 2022 May 5;17(5):e0261912. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261912. eCollection 2022.

Abstract

Populations of the entomopathogenic fungus Batkoa major were analyzed using sequences of four genomic regions and evaluated in relation to their genetic diversity, insect hosts and collection site. This entomophthoralean pathogen killed numerous insect species from 23 families and five orders in two remote locations during 2019. The host list of this biotrophic pathogen contains flies, true bugs, butterflies and moths, beetles, and barkflies. Among the infected bugs (Order Hemiptera), the spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) is a new invasive planthopper pest of various woody plants that was introduced to the USA from Eastern Asia. A high degree of clonality occurred in the studied populations and high gene flow was revealed using four molecular loci for the analysis of population structure. We did not detect any segregation in the population regarding host affiliation (by family or order), or collection site. This is the first description of population structure of a biotrophic fungus-generalist in the entomopathogenic Order Entomophthorales. This analysis aimed to better understand the potential populations of entomopathogen-generalists infecting emerging invasive hosts in new ecosystems.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Butterflies*
  • Ecosystem
  • Entomophthorales*
  • Fungi
  • Hemiptera* / microbiology
  • Humans
  • Insecta
  • Seasons

Supplementary concepts

  • Batkoa major

Grants and funding

USDA NIFA SCRI 2019-51181-30014. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.