| Lecanicillium lecanii | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Hyphae on the nymph body surface ofPhencacoccus fraxinus. (1A) The hyphae grew around the body marginal regions. (1B) The body of nymph was completely covered by white mycelium. (1C) The hyphae (Hy) passed through the waxy filament (3000×, bar = 10 μm). (1D) The hyphae (Hy) passed through the wet waxy agglomeration (4000×, bar = 1 μm). (1E) The intersegmental folds were invaded by the conidia (Co) and by the hyphae (Hy) (5000×, bar = 1 μm). (1F) Many spores scattered among the hyphae (Hy) (2000×, bar = 10 μm). | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Ascomycota |
| Class: | Sordariomycetes |
| Order: | Hypocreales |
| Family: | Cordycipitaceae |
| Genus: | Lecanicillium |
| Species: | L. lecanii |
| Binomial name | |
| Lecanicillium lecanii R. Zare & W. Gams, 2001 | |
Lecanicillium lecanii is now an approved name of anentomopathogenic fungus species, that was previously widely known asVerticillium lecanii (Zimmerman) Viegas), but is now understood to be ananamorphic form in theCordyceps group of genera in theClavicipitaceae.[1]Isolates formerly classified asV. lecanii could beL. attenuatum, L. lecanii,L. longisporum,L. muscarium orL. nodulosum.[2] For example, several recent papers, such as Kouveliset al. who carried outmitochondrial DNA studies,[3] refer to the nameL. muscarium.
L. lecanii itself appears primarily to be a pathogen of soft scale insects (Coccidae).
TheIndex Fungorum, referring toL. lecanii, lists the followingsynonyms:
This fungus was first described in 1861 and has a worldwide distribution.Insects areinfected when they come into contact with the sticky fungalspores which then grow and invade the body, thus the internal organs are consumed, leading to their death. Inhorticulture andagriculture, "V. lecanii"isolates were developed for controlling insect pests such aswhitefly,thrips andaphids, by RA Hall and HD Burges (scientists at the Glasshouse Crops Research Institute, now Warwick HRI: formerly part ofHorticulture Research International).Biological pesticides based onLecanicillium spp. are now marketed as 'Mycotal' (nowL. muscarium) and 'Vertalec' (nowL. longisporum) by Koppert in theNetherlands (who provide good illustrations of the fungus[4]). Other products based on these fungi have been developed elsewhere for use incash crops,oil seeds,soybeans, ornamentals and vegetables.[5]