Lecanicillium Aphanocladii – A New Species to the Mycoflora of Lithuania and a New Pathogen of Tree Leaves Mining Insects

Abstract

Pečiulytė D., Kačergius A., 2012: Lecanicillium aphanocladii - a new species to the mycoflora of Lithuania and a new pathogen of tree leaves mining insects [ Lecanicillium aphanocladii - nauja Lietuvos mikofloros rūšis ir naujas medžių lapus minuojančių vabzdžių patogenas pasaulyje]. - Bot. Lith., 18(2); 133-146. Popular park and city trees horse chestnut, Aesculus hippocastanum L. and small-leaved linden, Tilia cordata Miller suffer from damages of leaf mining moths, Cameraria ohridella Deschka & Dimic 1968 and Lithocolletis issikii Kumata 1825 (= Phyllonorycter issikii Humber 1822 (both Lepidoptera , Gracillariidae ), respectively. In 2010-2011, fungi causing moth caterpillar mortality under field conditions were investigated in Vilnius city, Lithuania. Statistical analyses showed high recovery percentage (30.36 % and 31.92 % from C. ohridella and L. issikii caterpillar cadavers, respectively) of a new fungus, which was thereafter identified as Lecanicillium aphanocladii Zare & W. Gams 2001 based on a morphological characteristics and ITS rDNR sequence, which showed 99 % identity with Aphanocladium aranearum (Petch) W. Gams 1971 GenBank accessions No. AF455489 and AF455405 of ribosomal RNA gene (now renamed as L . aphanockladii ).