Evaluating Spore Count and Sporophorous Vesicle Size in<i>Ovavesicula popilliae</i>(Microsporidia: Ovavesiculidae) in Adult Japanese Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

The purpose of this research was to document the incidence of Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), infection by the microsporidian pathogen, Ovavesicula popilliae Andreadis & Hanula (Microsporida: Pleistophoridae) while monitoring Japanese beetle populations at nine golf courses in Michigan from 1999 to 2018. We also compared the current distribution of the pathogen in Michigan to the known distribution in 1999. Beetles were sampled a total of seven different years, in three time periods: 1999–2000, 2005–2007, and 2015–2018. At these nine golf courses, O. popilliae infection rates of adults increased from 0.39% in 2000 to 29.5% in 2018, while Japanese beetle adult populations declined 73.2%, and Japanese beetle larval density declined 78.6% (from 1999 to 2018). In previous research, larval infection rates averaged at least twice the infection rates of adults, because all infections originate in the larval stage, and at least 75% of infected larvae die before pupation. This means that an adult infection rate of 29.5%, combined with previously observed 50% reductions in egg production by infected females, are consistent with the observed population declines. The current distribution of O. popilliae in southern Michigan was determined by sampling Japanese beetle larvae and adults at 38 sites in 2017 and 2018. Ovavesicula popilliae was found at 21 of 38 sites and in 16 of 21 counties, compared with two sites in one of 16 counties when it was first detected in Michigan in 1999 and 2000.

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Qpcr Tracking of Japanese Beetles (Popilliae Japonica Newman) Infected by Ovavesicula Popilliae at Introduction Sites in Colorado, United States

Smitley,

Hotchkiss,

Lewis

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Evaluating Spore Count and Sporophorous Vesicle Size inOvavesicula popilliae(Microsporidia: Ovavesiculidae) in Adult Japanese Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

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Cited by 3 publications

References 5 publications

Geographic distribution of Ovavesicula popilliae in the United States and sensitivity of visual diagnosis compared with qPCR detection

Geographic distribution of Ovavesicula popilliae in the United States and sensitivity of visual diagnosis compared with qPCR detection

Gradual Decline of Japanese Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Populations in Michigan Follows Establishment of Ovavesicula popilliae (Microsporidia)

Qpcr Tracking of Japanese Beetles (Popilliae Japonica Newman) Infected by Ovavesicula Popilliae at Introduction Sites in Colorado, United States

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