Gross Morphology of Diseased Tissues in Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) and Molecular Characterization of an Associated Microsporidian |
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Authors: | Adam R Rivers Michael J Grodowitz Godfrey P Miles Margaret L Allen Brad Elliott Mark Weaver Marie-Claude Bon M Guadalupe Rojas Juan Morales-Ramos |
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Affiliation: | 1. Genomics and Bioinformatics Research Unit, Gainesville, FL, 32608, USA;2. USDA-ARS National Biological Control Laboratory, 59 Lee Road, Stoneville, MS, 38776, USA;3. USDA-ARS European Biological Control Laboratory, 810 avenue du campus Agropolis Campus International de Baillarguet, 34980, Montferrier sur Lez, France |
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Abstract: | Nezara viridula (L.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), commonly known in the U.S. as the southern green stink bug (SGSB), is a cosmopolitan, highly polyphagous feeder that causes severe damage to a wide range of agronomically important crops such as fruit, vegetable, grain, tobacco, and cotton, throughout much of the United States, and is a global pest of considerable ecological, agricultural, and economical interest. During dissection of female Nz. viridula, conspicuous black and brown spots or lesions were observed on various internal organs. To determine the cause of these spots or lesions, tissues of fat body, spermatheca, ovaries, and ovulated eggs were collected from healthy and infected individuals. The gross morphology of the spots was characterized, and the microorganisms associated with the infection were identified by amplicon sequencing of the V4 region of the small subunit rRNA gene. The presence of a microsporidian pathogen Nosema maddoxi, Becnel, Solter, Hajek, Huang, Sanscrainte, & Estep (Microsporidia: Nosematidae) which has been observed on other species of stink bug, was evidenced for the first time. The characterization of the gross morphology of this associated microsporidian may enable more rapid determination of microsporidia infection in stink bug colonies and field populations. |
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Keywords: | stink bug insect pathogen infected tissue fat body insect rearing |
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