A fungal-first: Pathogenic fungus found to infect dung beetles in Australia
New research from Australia's national science agency, CSIRO, has found pathogenic fungus Beauveria australis infecting dung beetles for the first time.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002220112300006X?via%3Dihub
Exotic dung beetles have been introduced to Australia for over 50 years to mitigate issues caused by dung produced by livestock. This study aims at identifying fungi affecting a beetle colony and investigating their source. Fungal hyphae emerging from the cuticle of dead beetles were cultured and a multigene phylogeny showed that Beauveria bassiana and B. australis both infected these introduced beetles, likely acquired through local soil or dung. This is the first record of B. australis infecting family Scarabaeidae. This study highlights the importance of fungal outbreak management in insect rearing before release, and challenges associated with new pathogens.