Eight isolates of Mycogone perniciosa, five from Agaricus bisporus and three from Agaricus arvensis, were studied. One isolate of Mycogone rosae was also included. Aleuriospore and phialospore morphology varied among the isolates as did other characteristics, but M. rosae was the only isolate to produce a red colouration of the medium. Growth was also variable, with three isolates of M. pemiciosa growing at about half the rate of the fastest. The slow‐growing isolates contained virus‐like particles, 36 nm diameter, and produced sclerodermoid mushrooms. The fast‐growing isolates did not contain virus‐like particles and caused cap spotting, a symptom not previously described for M. perniciosa. M. rosae produced characteristic cap spots and no scierodermoid mushrooms. A comparison of two isolates of St. perniciosa. one from A. bisporus and one from A arvensis, showed a much greater yield reduction as a result of symptoms caused by the isolate from A. bisporus. The isolate of M. rosae had no significant effect on yield. Restriction fragment banding patterns of ribosomal DNA showed no differences among the seven isolates of M. perniciosa from England, but the isolate from China was slightly different. The single isolate of M. rosae was distinct from M. perniciosa.

Reptiles are increasingly of conservation concern due to their susceptibility to habitat loss, emerging disease, and harvest in the wildlife trade. However, reptile populations are often difficult to monitor given the frequency of crypsis in their life history. This difficulty has left uncertain the conservation status of many species and the efficacy of conservation actions unknown. Environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys consistently elevate the detection rate of species they are designed to monitor, and while their use is promising for terrestrial reptile conservation, successes in developing such surveys have been sparse. We tested the degree to which inclusion of surface and soil eDNA sampling into conventional artificial‐cover methods elevates the detection probability of a small, cryptic terrestrial lizard, Scincella lateralis. The eDNA sampling of cover object surfaces with paint rollers elevated per sample detection probabilities for this species 4–16 times compared with visual surveys alone. We readily detected S. lateralis eDNA under cover objects up to 2 weeks after the last visual detection, and at some cover objects where no S. lateralis were visually observed in prior months. With sufficient sampling intensity, eDNA testing of soil under cover objects produced comparable per sample detection probabilities as roller surface methods. Our results suggest that combining eDNA and cover object methods can considerably increase the detection power of reptile monitoring programs, allowing more accurate estimates of population size, detection of temporal and spatial changes in habitat use, and tracking success of restoration efforts. Further research into the deposition and decay rates of reptile eDNA under cover objects, as well as tailored protocols for different species and habitats, is needed to bring the technique into widespread use.

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Codling moth Cydia pomonella L. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) is a major pest of pome fruits worldwide. Fruit is damaged by larval feeding, and numbers of larvae are directly related to the numbers of females in the preceding generation. In Pacific Northwest, apple orchards, C. pomonella are generally managed with insecticides and mating disruption. However, additional control methods are needed when these treatments fail or are undesirable. Using a three-component kairomone lure that attracts both sexes, we mass-trapped C. pomonella in 4-acre plots located within commercial apple orchards. In all cases, there were smaller increases in fruit infestation in the mass-trapped plots than in the corresponding control plots. This relative decrease in fruit infestation in the mass-trapped plots corresponded with the removal of more male and female C. pomonella. Mass-trapping using this lure has potential to be a novel and promising addition to integrated pest management of C. pomonella.