Anais da Sociedade Entomológica do Brasil (1999) 28, 91-99

M.R. de Faria, D. de O. Almeida and B.P. Magalhaes (1999)
Food consumption of Rhammatocerus schistocercoides Rehn (Orthoptera: Acrididae) infected by the fungus Metarhizium flavoviride Gams and Rozsypal
Anais da Sociedade Entomológica do Brasil 28 (1), 91-99
Abstract: Foliage consumption by nymphs and adults of the grasshopper Rhammatocerus schistocercoides Rehn infected with the fungus Metarhizium flavoviride Gams and Rozsypal was evaluated. Sixth and eighth instar nymphs and female adults consumed on average (+-SEM) 6.9 +- 0.36 cm2 (60.7 +- 2.92 mg of dry matter), 11.0 +- 1.35 cm2 (74.9 +- 9.24 mg d.m.), and 16.0 +- 0.50 cm2 (126.5 +- 6.35 mg d.m.) of sugarcane leaves per day, equivalent to 85.4, 35.9 and 41.9% of the insect body weights, respectively. Eighth instar nymphs and female adults inoculated with M. flavoviride (5,000 conidia/insect) ingested less food from day three onward and showed at day 10 an average consumption 74.5 and 45.6% lower than control insects, respectively. Adult females topically treated with a sub-lethal dosage (3 mul of a 8 ppm suspension/insect) of the chemical insecticide diflubenzuron showed consumption rates comparable to untreated insects (P=0.065). The combination fungus + chemical did not show resultsdifferent from those obtained with the fungus alone (P=0.405). A strong correlation (r2=0.998) between production of fecal pellets by R. schistocercoides and food consumption was observed. These results confirmed the high voracity of R. schistocercoides and showed a remarkable adverse effect of the fungus on food intake by infected nymphs and adults.
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Database assignments for author(s): Marcos R. de Faria

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Rhammatocerus schistocercoides	Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum)	Brazil (NW)
Metarhizium acridum (entomopathogen)	Rhammatocerus schistocercoides	Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum)	Brazil (NW)