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Natural infection of white grubs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) with entomopathogenic nematodes in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2023

A. Katumanyane Open the ORCID record for A. Katumanyane [Opens in a new window] ,
B. Slippers ,
M. Wondafrash ,
A. P. Malan  and
B. P. Hurley
A. Katumanyane*
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology and Entomology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
B. Slippers
Affiliation:
Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
M. Wondafrash
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology and Entomology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
A. P. Malan
Affiliation:
Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, University of Stellenbosch, Stellenbosch, South Africa
B. P. Hurley
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology and Entomology, Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
*
Corresponding author: Agil Katumanyane; Email: agil.katumanyane@fabi.up.ac.za
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Abstract

White grubs are root feeding larvae of beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) that are sporadic pests in agriculture and can lead to economic damage. The grubs feed on the roots of plants, while the adult beetle can bore into underground stems, as well as cause defoliation of plants. Sporadic incidence of larvae with symptoms of nematode infections were detected in wattle and sugarcane plantations in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The larvae with infection symptoms were isolated, washed, and put on water traps to collect infective juveniles of possible nematode infections. Three species of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) were isolated from the white grub larvae. These included Steinernema bertusi isolated from Maladera sp. 4., Oscheius myriophila from Maladera sp. 4 and Schizonchya affinis, and Steinernema fabii isolated from Maladera sp. 4., Pegylis sommeri, and S. affinis. Of these S. fabii was the most common species in the sample (87%). This is the first report of such a high diversity of locally occurring EPNs found naturally associated with white grub species in this region of South Africa.

Keywords

Natural EPN infectionEPN hostEPN isolation
Type
Short Communication
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 97 , 2023 , e54
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press

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