SURVIVAL OF NEOZYGITES CF FLORIDANA (ZYGOMYCETES, ENTOMOPHTHORALES) IN MUMMIFIED CASSAVA GREEN MITES AND THE VIABILITY OF ITS PRIMARY CONIDIA

The survival of Neozygites cf, floridana (Weiser and Muma) as dry hyph al bodies in mummified cassava green mites, Mononychellus tanajoa (Bon dar), at 5.0% RH in the dark was affected by storage temperature. Surv ival of the fungus in mummies kept at 24 +/- 1.0 degrees C could be de monstrated for 6-7 months. When stored at 4 degrees C, the fungus spor ulated from 90% of the mummies liberating an average of 186.9 primary conidia per mummy even after a storage period of 16 months, when the e xperiment was terminated. The temperature, humidity and light conditio n significantly affected the viability of primary conidia. The percent viability across all factors dropped from 98.4% after 0 h (beginning of the experiment) to 23.4% after a 1 h exposure to the conditions tes ted. Lower temperatures maintained higher viabilities with 86.3% of th e conidia surviving after 18 h at 18 degrees C, whereas almost all con idia died after 12 h at 33 degrees C. Conidia survived less than 1 h w hen exposed to SDs (saturation deficit) of 2.0 mm Hg or higher at any tested temperature.