Endomycobiome associated with females of the planthopper Delphacodes kuscheli (Hemiptera: Delphacidae): A metabarcoding approach

BRENTASSI, MARÍA E.; MEDINA, ROCÍO; DE LA FUENTE, DANIELA; FRANCO, MARIO EE.; TOLEDO, ANDREA V.; SAPARRAT, MARIO CN.; BALATTI, PEDRO A.

Heliyon

Elsevier

Año: 2020 vol. 6

2405-8440

A metabarcoding approach was performed aimed at identifying fungi associated withDelphacodes kuscheli(Hemiptera: Delphacidae), the main vector of?Mal de Río Cuarto?disease in Argentina. A total of 91 fungalgenera were found, and among them, 24 were previously identified for Delphacidae. The detection of fungi thatare frequently associated with the phylloplane or are endophytes, as well as their presence in digestive tracts ofother insects, suggest that feeding might be an important mechanism of their horizontal transfer in planthoppers.This study draws the baseline for future research regarding mutualistic associations present inD. kuschelias wellas their physiological role in the life cycle of this important pest that might lead to developing new managementstrategies to keep insects populations under control