Fungal and oomycete parasites of Chironomidae, Ceratopogonidae and Simuliidae (Culicomorpha, Diptera)

DE SOUZA, J.I., GLEASON, F., ANSARI, M., LOPEZ LASTRA, C.C. , GARCIA, J.J., ZOTARELLI, C., AND MARANO , A.

fungal biology reviews

elsevier

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2014

1749-4613

Members of the families Chironomidae (commonly called chironomids or non-biting midges), Ceratopogonidae (ceratopogonids or biting midges) and Simuliidae (simulids or blackflies) are ubiquitous dipterans of the infraorder Culicomorpha. They are extremely diversified in ecological strategies. Their larvae play major roles in aquatic food webs as detritivores or predators, whereas their adults can be predators (Chironomidae), pollinators, hemolymphagous or hematophagous (Ceratopogonidae and Simuliidae). Both larval and adult stages are commonly infected by bacteria, viruses, protists, nematodes, fungi and oomycetes. These phylogenetically diverse assemblages of microorganisms can simultaneously infect multiple species of chironomids, ceratopogonids and simulids, and each host may become interrelated with other hosts by sharing their parasites. Here, we review the information on fungal and oomycete parasites of these dipteran groups with special reference to the natural regulation of host populations, the impact of parasitism in food webs, and the potential of these parasites as biocontrol agents