A Viral Pathogen from Pine Processionary Moth, Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Denis & Schiffermuller, 1775) (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae)

Abstract

Pine processionary moth, Thaumetopoea pityocampa (Den. & Schiff.) is a serious defoliator in pine forests. Its larvae cause defoliation by eating leaves mainly on coniferous species, Pinus brutia, P. nigra, P. pinaster, and P. pinea in Turkey. Cypovirus is the most common entomopathogen in T. pityocampa populations. In this study, the ultrastructure of the cypovirus of T. pityocampa was observed in the intestine lumen of the predatory beetle, Calasoma sycophanta L. (Coleoptera: Carabidae), which supports the hypothesis of possible transmission of the virus to T. pityocampa populations by the predatory beetle. Polyhedral occlusion bodies (OBs) and virions were examined by electron microscopy. OBs of the virus were of irregular shape and 2.1 µm (1.2-3) in diameter, and each of them included up to 50 virions in a cross-section. Virions were icosahedral and 78.3 (65-90) nm in size and each virion had surface spikes. Smaller OBs, larger virions and a high number of virions per cross-section were the main features of the cypovirus in T. pityocampa. Our observations make us conclude that the predator beetle, C. sycophanta, may disseminate OBs of cypovirus when preying upon infected T. pityocampa larvae.

Potential of entomopathogens in biological control of the box-tree moth, Cydalima perspectalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

“…For this reason, scientists spend a great effort to find entomopathogens belonging to their biological richness within their geographic regions. Entomopathogens can spread spontaneously within the population of the pest by infecting them from individual to individual, or they can reach new generations of the pest (Yaman 2021). An entomopathogen in an insect that has died due to the disease within the current generation can reach individuals in the next generation differently and cause a disease and continue its existence in the population for years.…”