Morphological diagnosis of Sunn pest, Eurygaster integriceps (Heteroptera: Scutelleridae) parasitized by Hexamermis eurygasteri (Nematoda: Mermithidae)

    Hexamermis eurygasteri Tarla, Poinar and Tarla (Nematoda: Mermithidae) is an important natural enemy of Sunn pest (SP), Eurygaster integriceps Put. (Heteroptera: Scutelleridae) in overwintering areas. Adults of this pest become inactive during hibernation and aestivation about nine months in overwintering areas. These areas are very important for biological control of this pest. Because the overwintering adults with entomoparasitic nematodes can be easily collected from there and they can be sent to uninfected overwintering areas for inoculation. The success of this method depends on the morphological diagnosis of individuals infected with mermithids. It is necessary recognizing the individuals that infected with nematodes collected from overwintering areas to be used as biological control agent for the pest management. As a result of the studies carried out for this purpose, it was determined that the bodies of parasitized SP individuals have a wet and greasy appearance. The movement of infected SP is slowed when near nematodes leaving from the host body. Insect head extends forward, the neck is prolonged and nematodes are usually left the body from the cervix. Before leaving from the hosts, the mean distance between the head at eye level and the thorax was measured as 419.4 ± 117.30 μm (n = 11).

___

  • [1] Critchley, B.R., Literature Review of Sunn Pest Eurygaster integriceps Put. (Hem.:Scutelleridae). Crop Protection Vol. 17( 4), 271-287, 1998.
  • [2] Kivan, M., Kiliç, N., Age-specific Fecundity and Life Table of Trissolcus semistriatus, an Egg Parasitoid of the Sunn Pest, Eurygaster integriceps. Entomological Science 9, 39-46, 2006.
  • [3] Brown, E.S., Notes on the migration and direction of flight of Eurygaster and Aelia species (Hemiptera: Pentatomoidea) and their possible bearing on invasions of cereal crops. Journal of Animal Ecology, 34, 93-107, 1965.
  • [4] Nickle, W.R., A contribution to our knowledge of the Mermithidae (Nematoda). J. Nematol. (4), 113-146, 1972.
  • [5] Rahaman, P., Sharma, S.B., Wightman, J.A., A review of insect-parasitic nematodes research in India: 1927-1997. International Journal of Pest Management, 46(1), 109-28, 2000.
  • [6] Memişoğlu, H., Özer, M., Natural enemies and their activities of sunn pest (Eurygaster maura L., Hemiptera: Scutelleridae) in Ankara. Türkiye 3. Biyolojik Mücadele Kongresi, 25–28 Ocak 1994, İzmir: 175-186, 1994.
  • [7] Welch H.E., Entomophilic Nematodes. A. Rev. Ent. 10, 275-302, 1965.
  • [8] Poinar, G.O. Jr., Use of Nematodes for Microbial Control of Insects. In, Microbial Control of Insects and Mites. ed. by H.D. Burges and N.W. Hussey. Academic Press, New York. pp. 183-203, 1971.
  • [9] Petersen, J.J., Willis, D.R., Procedure for the Mass Rearing of a Mermithid Parasite of Mosquitoes. Mosquito News, 32, 226-230, 1972.
  • [10] Grewal, P.S., Ehlers, R.U., Shapiro, D.J., 2006. Nematodes as Biocontrol Agents, Wallingford, UK: CABI Publishing.
  • [11] Dikyar, R., Biology and control of Aelia rostrata in central Anatolia. Bulletin, Organisation-Europe´enne et Mediterrane´enne pour la Protection des Plants, 2, 39-41, 1981.
  • [12] Memişoğlu, H., Melan, K., Özkan, M., Kılıç, A.U., Investigations on the crop losses the wheat caused by cereal bug (Aelia rostrata Boh.) in the region of central Anatolia. Bitki Koruma Bülteni, 34 (3-4), 111-121, 1994.
  • [13] Tarla, G., Poinar, G.O. Jr, Tarla, Ş., Hexamermis eurygasteri sp. n. (Mermithidae: Nematoda) Parasitizing the Sunn Pest, Eurygaster integriceps Puton (Hemiptera: Scutelleridae) in Turkey. Syst. Parasitol. 79, 195-200, 2011.
  • [14] Tarla G., Tarla, Ş., İslamoğlu, M., Gün, G., Parasitism of the Sunn pest, Eurygaster integriceps Puton (Heteroptera: Scutelleridae) with Hexamermis eurygasteri Tarla, Poinar and Tarla (Nematoda: Mermithidae). Egyptian J. Biolo. Pests Control. 22 (1), 1-3, 2012.
  • [15] Tarla, G., Tarla, Ş., İslamoğlu, M., First report of Hexamermis sp. (Nematoda: Mermithidae) parasitizing Eurygaster maura (Heteroptera: Scutelleridae) in an overwintering area. Florida Entomologist, 98 (3), 974-978, 2015.
  • [16] Manachini, B. and Landi, S., New record of Hexamermis sp. (Nematoda: Mermithidae) parasitizing Rhaphigaster nebulosa Poda (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). Bollettino di Zoologia Agraria e Bachicoltura, Ser. II, 35, 91-94, 2003.
  • [17] Rubstov, I.A., Mermithidae: classification, importance and utilization. Leningrad: Nauka, pp. 208, 1978.
  • [18] Yaman, M., Demirbag, Z., Lipa, J., A mermithid parasitic in Euproctis chrysorrhoea (Lepidoptera, Lymantriidae) in Turkey. In: Bulletin of the Polish Academy of Sciences: Biological Sciences, 50 (3), Poland: 195-198, 2002.
  • [19] Mennan, S. Erturk, O., First Record of Parasitism of a Mermithidae (Nematoda) on Leptinotersa decemlineata (Coleopra: Chrysomelidae) in Turkey. Pak J. Nematol. 24, 39-43, 2006.
  • [20] Yaman, M., Tosun, O., Aydin, C., Occurrence of the pathogens and parasites of Phyllotreta undulata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in Turkey. Turk J. Zool., 33, 139-146, 2009.
  • [21] Lodos, N., Notes on the problems of Eurygaster integriceps Put. In Turkey, Iraq, Persia and Syria. Ege Üniv. Zir. Fak. Yay. No: 51, pp. 115, 1961.
  • [22] Brown, E.S., Eralp, M., The distribution of the species of Eurygaster Lap. (Hemiptera, Scutelleridae) in Middle East countries. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., 13 (5), 65-81, 1962.