| Metarhizium rileyi | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Sordariomycetes |
| Order: | Hypocreales |
| Family: | Clavicipitaceae |
| Genus: | Metarhizium |
| Species: | M. rileyi |
| Binomial name | |
| Metarhizium rileyi (Farl.) Kepler, Rehner & Humber (2014) | |
| Synonyms | |
Nomuraea rileyi(Farl.) Samson (1974)[1] | |
Metarhizium rileyi[6] is a species ofentomopathogenic fungus in the familyClavicipitaceae. This species is known to infect Lepidoptera, including economically important insects in theNoctuoidea andBombycoidea; there is an extensive (pre 2014) literature on this fungus under its synonymNomuraea rileyi.
Insericulture, the term "green muscardine" has been used for fungal infections ofsilkworms caused byM. rileyi.[7]
M. rileyi has been considered as a potentialmycoinsecticide for use against several noctuid insect pests.[8]Blastospores ofM. rileyi can be produced easily in liquid media: butconidia are preferred for practical field use. For laboratory purposes, these can be produced, expensively, on Sabouraud’s maltose agar supplemented with 1% yeast extract, but the use of grain substrates is preferred for mass production.[9]