Fungal disease and parasitism in Panolis flammea during 1998: evidence of change in the diversity and impact of the natural enemies of a forest pest.

摘要

The pine beauty moth, Panolis flammea, causes no problems to its natural host Pinus sylvestris in the UK, but has become an important pest on P. contorta in Scotland. The population of Panolis flammea in northern Scotland was severely affected by fungal disease during the summer of 1998. The fungi Entomophaga aulicae, Nomuraea rileyi and Beauveria bassiana are recorded here from P. flammea. The infection of the larvae by these fungi occurred in a density-dependent fashion. The incidence of parasitism was different between the 2 sites studied (Dallas forest in Morayshire, and North Dalchork forest in Sutherland), but there was no difference in the parasitism between high and low density host populations. This is the first study to demonstrate thatthe diversity and impact of fungal pathogens affecting P. flammea is much greater now than in the past.