Batkoa major

Batkoa major
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Fungi
Division:
Entomophthoromycota
Class:
Entomophthoromycetes
Order:
Entomophthorales
Family:
Entomophthoraceae
Genus:
Batkoa
Species:
B. major
Binomial name
Batkoa major
(Thaxt.) Humber, 1989

Batkoa major is a naturally occurring fungus that infects insects.[1][2][3]

Little is known about the pathogen. Found in the soil and belonging to the entomopathogenic fungi, the fungus spores attach to the insects' bodies upon contact. The fungus then enters the insect's body through weak spots in the outer cuticle or exoskeleton.[4] The fungus then forms rhizoids to anchor its dying host to a tree, as spores start to develop on the insect's outer body and short-lived infective spores are ejected. The host insect dies between 4 – 7 days after being infected.[5] Traces of the infective spores are hard to find in the environment.[6][7]

The fungus has been studied as an environmentally-friendly insecticide to control pests such as the invasive spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula) in north-eastern North America.[5] Other known targets include the pine beauty moth[8][9] and the potato leafhopper.[2][10]

See also

Bibliography

References

  1. ^ "Batkoa major". www.uniprot.org. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  2. ^ a b "Batkoa major (Thaxt.) Humber 1989 - Encyclopedia of Life". eol.org. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  3. ^ taxonomy. "Taxonomy browser (Batkoa major)". www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  4. ^ Ramanujan, Krishna (29 April 2019). "Destructive plant pest thwarted by two native fungi". Cornell Chronicle. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  5. ^ a b Hajek, Ann E.; Clifton, Eric H.; Stefanik, Sarah E.; Harris, David C. (October 2022). "Batkoa major infecting the invasive planthopper Lycorma delicatula". Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. 194: 107821. doi:10.1016/j.jip.2022.107821. PMID 36030881.
  6. ^ Clifton, Eric H.; Castrillo, Louela A.; Gryganskyi, Andrii; Hajek, Ann E. (2019-05-07). "A pair of native fungal pathogens drives decline of a new invasive herbivore". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 116 (19): 9178–9180. doi:10.1073/pnas.1903579116. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 6511058. PMID 31010927.
  7. ^ "Destructive plant pest thwarted by two native fungi". Cornell Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  8. ^ (Barry), Hicks, B. J. (2001). The history and control of the pine beauty moth, Panolis flammea (D. & S.), (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Scotland from 1976 to 2000. OCLC 704106173.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "Batkoa major". www.cabi.org. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
  10. ^ W., Onstad, D. Ecological Database of the World's Insect Pathogens (EDWIP). OCLC 1012509549.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)