Transmission of microsporidium sp. Between different generations of crepidopdera aurata (coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Abstract

Microsporidia are mostly very small, intracellular, spore-forming pathogens classified as Protista and reported in every major group of animals. Insects are one of the most widely distributed hosts for microsporidia. Many entomopathogenic microsporidia cause chronic infections in insects and their effects appear as reduced fertility and pupal weight, reduced fecundity and shortened longevity. Crepidopdera aurata (Coleoptera; Chrysomelidae) is one of the most destructive pests in poplar nurseries. The host-parasite relation in microsporidium infections is of great importance to understand the possibilities to use microsporidia in the host’s biological control. In the present study, the transmission of the microsporidian pathogen Microsporidium sp. was studied between different generations (in spring and summer) of C. aurata in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019. The results showed that there is considerable difference in the infection rates of the offspring and parental beetles. The results confirm that the infection rates in the offspring beetles (new generation in the same year) are higher than that in parental beetles (first generation in the same year) in the 2 populations for all investigated years. On the other hand, statistical analysis showed that Microsporidium sp. does not favour either of the sexes in C. aurata populations. Possible transmission of the microsporidium between different generations is also discussed according to the literature.