Efficacy of entomopathogenic fungi isolated from the nest of the samsum ant, Pachycondyla sennaarensis against larvae of the mosquitoes Aedes caspius and Culex pipiens

Abstract

The use of entomopathogenic fungi is a promising alternative to chemical control against mosquitoes. In February 2013, two fungi were isolated from the Samsum ant, Pachycondyla sennaarensis, Mayr, (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) collected in Riyadh, KSA. One of these fungi, identified as Fusarium solani was highly pathogenic against larvae of the mosquito, Aedes caspius (Diptera: Culicidae). F. solani killed 100% of Ae. caspius within 5 days of exposure to the concentration of 5 × 10 7 cfu/ml. Also, results indicated that F. solani was more virulent to the mosquito larvae than F. chlamydosporum at the concentration of 8 × 10 7 cfu/ml. The histopathological examination indicated that spores of F. solani are invasive to the wall of Ae. caspius larvae. Both F. solani and F. chlamydosporum were not affected against Ae. caspius and Culex pipiens. These results suggested that F. solani could be an effective tool to manage Ae. caspius proliferation and hence diseases transmission.