Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (Apr 2022)

Do Biotic and Abiotic Factors Influence the Prevalence of a Common Parasite of the Invasive Alien Ladybird Harmonia axyridis?

  • Danny Haelewaters,
  • Danny Haelewaters,
  • Danny Haelewaters,
  • Thomas Hiller,
  • Piotr Ceryngier,
  • René Eschen,
  • Michał Gorczak,
  • Michał Gorczak,
  • Makenna L. Houston,
  • Kamil Kisło,
  • Michal Knapp,
  • Nediljko Landeka,
  • Walter P. Pfliegler,
  • Peter Zach,
  • M. Catherine Aime,
  • Oldřich Nedvěd,
  • Oldřich Nedvěd

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.773423
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10

Abstract

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Hesperomyces virescens (Ascomycota, Laboulbeniales), a fungal ectoparasite, is thus far reported on Harmonia axyridis from five continents: North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. While it is known that He. virescens can cause mortality of Ha. axyridis under laboratory conditions, the role of biotic and abiotic factors in influencing the distribution of He. virescens in the field is unknown. We collected and screened 3,568 adult Ha. axyridis from 23 locations in seven countries in Central Europe between October and November 2018 to test the effect of selected host characters and climate and landscape variables on the infection probability with He. virescens. Mean parasite prevalence of He. virescens on Ha. axyridis was 17.9%, ranging among samples from 0 to 46.4%. Host sex, climate, and landscape composition did not have any significant effect on the infection probability of He. virescens on Ha. axyridis. Two color forms, f. conspicua and f. spectabilis, had a significantly lower parasite prevalence compared to the common Ha. axyridis f. novemdecimsignata.

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