Background

During the search for natural enemies of Melanaphis sacchari in Tecomán, Colima, México, mycosed populations of yellow aphid in sorghum were observed; three months later, fungal structures of sexual reproduction were found developing in the abdominal dorsal region of some aphids.

Objective

To make known for the first time the teleomorphic state of Lecanicillium longisporum developed on M. sacchari in Colima, México.

Methods

Microscopy techniques were used for the morphological analysis of the perithecia found on M. sacchari. ITS region and the RPB1 gene were used for molecular characterization.

Results and conclusions

Perithecia found in mummified aphids with L. longisporum are morphologically different from Cordyceps confragosa and other species reported as Lecanicillium teleomorphs. ITS and RPB1 sequences showed 100% similarity to the sequences of the anamorph CHE-CNRCB 620 (ITS: KX426564; RPB1: KX426566) of L. longisporum. The molecular identification confirmed that the perithecia correspond to the teleomorph of the same species being the first report of the sexual stage of L. longisporum.

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