Fungi Related with the Red Palm Weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) in the Hail Area, Northern Saudi Arabia

Red palm weevil (RPW), a dangerous insect of date (Phoenix dactylifera), is an invasive insect not known to occur in the Arab region until recently. Control strategies for RPW include the utilization of pheromone traps and insecticides. The side effects of insecticides on people and the environment have driven researchers and policy makers to look for other methods of controlling RPW. As such, information on the normal adversaries of RPW and the defensive mechanisms of this insect against them is imperative to develop techniques for an integrated pest control. Conventional and molecular techniques were employed in the Hail region to identify and characterize the fungi associated with RPW to assess potential indigenous entomopathogenic fungi for biological management. Conventional identification methods indicated that the genera Aspergillus and Fuzarium spp were highly associated with RPW. Aspergillus niger contributed to the highest number of fungal isolates among all species, followed by Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium solnum. Other fungal isolates were tentatively identified as Fusarium solani (accession number: MH151017.1 with 100% sequence identity), Fusarium proliferatum (accession number: MK522076.1 with 100% sequence identity) and Nectria haematococca (accession number: DQ535183.1 with 99% sequence identity). Most of the isolated species in this study are saprophytic fungi which normally live in soil. However, some species are pathogenic fungi such some species of Aspergillus which would be potential candidates for biological control of RPW.