The Effects of Salinity on the Mosquito Pathogenic Fungus Culicinomyces.

Abstract

An Australian isolate of the fungus Culicinomyces grows best on nutrient medium without additional salt. Conidial germination and hyphal growth are progressively reduced as the salinity of the culture medium is increased, with very restricted growth at 1.5 times the salinity of sea water. In the laboratory, the fungus will kill mosquito larvae reared at a salinity half that of sea water, but not those reared in sea water, and it appears that the ability of conidia to invade the infection sites of the gut is impaired under the latter conditions.