Isolation and identification of an Akanthomyces lecanii strain infecting Coptotermes formosanus

This study focused on the isolation and identification of a white mycelium-producing fungus from deceased worker ants of Coptotermes formosanus.

The fungus was identified by morphological characteristics and ITS-rDNA sequence analysis. The pathogenicity of Akanthomyces lecanii against C. formosanus was assessed using the drip method.

The results showed that A. lecanii, named NBCC-L5, induced the mortality of C. formosanus on the basis of morphological characteristics and ITS rDNA sequence analysis. This strain demonstrated significant insecticidal efficacy against C. formosanus. After 9 days of treatment with a spore suspension of 1 × 10⁷ spores/mL, the mortality rate reached 95%, with the LT₅₀ calculated at 96.71 h for this concentration.

A. lecanii is easily culturable, and its insecticidal effectiveness increases with increasing concentration within a certain range, indicating its promising potential for development into a biocontrol formulation specifically targeting the C. formosanus.