Effect of temperature and mushroom varieties on biology of fungus gnat, Lycoriella auripila (Diptera: Sciaridae)

Abstract

Some biological parameters of Lycoriella auripila were studied under controlled laboratory conditions (temperatures of 8, 10, 12.5, 15, 20, 22.5, 25, 27 and 30 °C). Glass Petri dishes were inoculated with mycelia of two varieties of Agaricus bisporus (A15 and 737) and two varieties of Pleurotus sp. (Ostreatus and Florida), used as substrate and food source. The optimal temperatures to produce more female progeny, were 15, 22.5 and 25 °C on 737, 20 °C on A15, 20 and 25 °C on Florida and 25 °C on Ostreatus, respectively. The obtained results proved unsuitability of oyster mushroom as a food source for L. auripila. The accuracy of different linear models in fitting the experimental data was determined using comparison of coefficients of determination (R2). Accordingly, the ordinary linear regression in the absence of 27 °C, and Ikemoto and Takai models highly recommended for the description of temperature-dependent development of female of L. auripila on 737 and A15, respectively. Based on the obtained data, 25 °C was recognized as the optimum temperature for development of L. auripila on all mushroom varieties.