Background:

The genus Fusarium produces secondary metabolites such as mycotoxins and pigments. These pigments have antibiotic, antiparasitic, and insecticidal biological activity and have been used in taxonomic identification.

Objectives:

Isolate and identify the fungi obtained from Hemiptera Bemisia aff. tabaci, parasitizing a species of cucurbitaceous; and identify the pigments produced by these species.

Methods:

Dead insects of Bemisia aff. tabaci on fruits and leaves of endemic cucurbitaceous were collected. Fungal isolation was performed by direct placement of previously disinfected insects in Petri dishes with PDA medium. They were incubated at 25 °C with a cycle of 12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness. The pigment extraction from the strains was obtained with ethyl acetate. The pigment was observed by thin layer chromatography (TLC), the complete extracts were analyzed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1HNMR).

Results and conclusions:

Fusarium avenaceum and F. oxysporum were isolated and identified. These strains produced three and two colorful compounds, respectively, which by comparison of the signals identified in the 1HNMR spectrum, with those reported in the literature, that correspond to xanthone and anthraquinone red-wine pigments.

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