Abstract
Four isolates of a Paecilomyces fungus producing large conidia were isolated from soil samples by a bait method using lepidopteran larvae and a selective medium for the isolation of entomopathogenic fungi. Five isolates of the genus Paecilomyces were isolated from nymphs of the cicada, Meimuna opalifera, collected in a forest in Ibaraki Prefecture. The morphological and cultural characteristics of these isolates coincided with isolates from soil samples. The fungus showed a fast growth rate on SDAY medium and colonies were initially white, changing to pale yellow when sporulating abundantly and turning yellow-brown with age. The reverse side of the colonies on SDAY medium turned reddish brown. Phialides were flask shaped with a narrow neck. Conidia were cylindrical, 7.1–12.9×1.8–3.6 μm and arranged in a chain. These isolates belong to the genus Paecilomyces and both were identified as Paecilomyces cicadae Samson. The isolates from soil samples and cicadae were highly pathogenic to larvae of the peach fruit moth, Carposina sasakii, and closely resembled the synnemata on the larvae. These results suggest this fungus can be used as an agent for microbiological control of the peach fruit moth.
