African Journal of Parasitology Research

ISSN 2756-3391

African Journal of Parasitology Research ISSN 2756-3391 Vol. 7 (9), pp. 001-014, September, 2020. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Mycobiota associated with Platypus cylindrus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Platypodidae) in cork oak stands of North West Algeria, Africa

Latifa Belhoucine1, Rachid T. Bouhraoua1, Martin Meijer2, Jos Houbraken2, M. Jamal Harrak3, Robert A. Samson2, Armando Equihua-Martinez4* and Juli Pujade-Villar5

1Department of Forestry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Tlemcen, Tlemcen, Algeria.

2CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands.

3University of Amsterdam, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

4Instituto de Fitosanidad, Colegio de Postgraduados, 56230 Montecillo, Texcoco, Estado de México (México).

5Departmet Biologia Animal, Facultat Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Avda Diagonal, 645. 08028-Barcelona, Spain.

Accepted 02 September, 2020

Abstract

Platypus cylindrus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Platypodidae) is an important insect pest of the cork oak. These beetles maintain symbiotic relationships with many fungi that serve especially as food for the adults and larvae but also intervene in the mechanisms of establishment of the insect by further weakening the host-tree. 270 samples were taken by 3 sources: Galleries (30), mycangia and intestinal contents of male and female insects and intestinal contents of mature larvae (60 each). The results show the presence of 42 species of ambrosia fungi among which 17 are new to this association. The mycetophagy of these beetles is very rich and consisted essentially of Ophiostomatales. Other groups of fungi playing different roles were also isolated: entomopathogenic, antagonistic, saprophytic but especially pathogenic for the tree host. This group consists of many species and their dissemination by the insect and the inoculation in trees may have fatal consequences by accelerating the cycle of declining affected trees. In the present paper, we discuss the fungal species associated to the beetle, identified on the basis of phenotypic characters and ribosomal DNA sequences analysis, and their relationship with P. cylindrus.

Key words: Forest of M’sila (Oran- Algeria), Quercus suber, Platypus cylindrus, Ambrosia fungi.

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Rachid T. Bouhraoua on Google Scholar Rachid T. Bouhraoua on Pubmed M. Jamal Harrak on Google Scholar M. Jamal Harrak on Pubmed Martin Meijer on Google Scholar Martin Meijer on Pubmed Armando Equihua-Martinez* and Juli Pujade-Villar on Google Scholar Armando Equihua-Martinez* and Juli Pujade-Villar on Pubmed Jos Houbraken on Google Scholar Jos Houbraken on Pubmed Latifa Belhoucine on Google Scholar Latifa Belhoucine on Pubmed Robert A. Samson on Google Scholar Robert A. Samson on Pubmed