Evaluation of Metarhizium anisopliae (Metsch) Sorok. to target larvae and adults of Capnodis tenebrionis (L.) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) in soil and fiber band applications Pierdomenico Marannino a,b , Ca ´ndido Santiago-A ´ lvarez a , Enrico de Lillo b , Enrique Quesada-Moraga a, * a Departamento de Ciencias y Recursos Agrı ´colas y Forestales, ETSIAM, Universidad de Co ´ rdoba, Campus de Rabanales, Edificio C4 Celestino Mutis, Cordoba 14071, Spain b Dipartimento di Biologia e Chimica Agro-forestale e Ambientale, Universita ` degli studi di Bari, Via Amendola 165/a, Bari 70126, Italy Received 29 March 2007; accepted 10 September 2007 Available online 15 September 2007 Abstract The aim of this work has been to evaluate in the laboratory the potential of entomopathogenic fungi against adults and larvae of Capnodis tenebrionis (L.) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) through fiber band application and a potted plant bioassay with soil application, respectively. Our previous findings revealed that Metarhizium anisopliae EAMa 01/58-Su isolate was the most virulent against neo- nate larvae of the buprestid. In the present work, M. anisopliae EAMa 01/58-Su isolate has been also shown to be highly virulent against adult beetles by immersion in a conidial suspension; thus it was selected to accomplish our objectives. When adult beetles were stimulated to climb 100 · 200 mm non-woven commercial fiber bands impregnated with conidia of M. anisopliae EAMa 01/58- Su isolate, total mortality rates varied from 85.7% to 100.0%; whereas no significant correlation was detected between the time needed to cross the band (mean value 648.7 ± 22.4 s) and the time of death, with mean average survival time ranging between 10.3 and 16.0 days, compared to 28 days of the controls. Potted seedlings (5–6 months old) of cherry plum (Prunus myrobalana Lois.), a commonly used apricot rootstock, were used to study the efficacy of soil treatment with M. anisopliae EAMa 01/58-Su isolate against neonate C. tenebrionis larvae. The soil inoculation with M. anisopliae EAMa 01/58-Su isolate had a significant effect on the mean number of dead larvae recovered from the roots, with mean mortality ranging from 83.3% to 91.6%; whereas no sig- nificant differences were detected between the three fungal doses. In all cases, dead larvae found within roots exhibited external signs of fungal growth. Hence, it may be possible to use M. anisopliae EAMa 01/58-Su isolate in a biocontrol strategy targeting both adults and larvae of C. tenebrionis. Ó 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Beauveria; Metarhizium; Soil treatment; Virulence; Neonate larvae; Endophitic; Biological control; Capnodis tenebrionis; Buprestidae; Fiber bands; Tree borers; Soil dwelling pest; Entomopathogenic fungi; Coleoptera 1. Introduction The Mediterranean flatheaded peachborer, Capnodis tenebrionis (L.) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), poses an enor- mous threat to stone-fruit crops of the family Rosaceae in the Mediterranean basin due to the feeding behavior of both adults and larvae (Alfaro-Moreno, 2005). Adults cause defoliation by feeding on twigs and young branches throughout the warm season (Garrido, 1984). Neonate boring larvae, which hatch from eggs deposited on the ground close to the base of the tree stem, reach the host by crawling through the soil (Marannino and de Lillo, 2007a) and may cause tree death or severe plant weakening in consequence of root/collar tunnelling under the bark. In consideration of the high injury it produces, C. tenebrionis 0022-2011/$ - see front matter Ó 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jip.2007.09.006 * Corresponding author. Fax: +34 957218440. E-mail address: cr2qumoe@uco.es (E. Quesada-Moraga). www.elsevier.com/locate/yjipa Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 97 (2008) 237–244 Journal of INVERTEBRATE PATHOLOGY