DIVERSITY AMONG SOIL AND INSECT ISOLATES OF METARHIZIUM-ANISOPLIAE VAR ANISOPLIAE DETECTED BY RAPD

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) was used in order to analyse t he relationships among 13 isolates of Metarhizium anisopliae var. anis opliae. Six of them were isolated from Deois flavopicta (Stal) (Hemipt era-Homoptera : Cercopidae) in different regions of Brazil. The other seven were isolated from soil in Parana State in Southern Brazil. The isolates were grouped by cluster analysis using Dice similarity index. The results show that isolates of M. anisopliae var. anisopliae are e xtremely diverse (47% similarity) but those isolated from D. flavopict a present only a moderate degree of variation (82% similarity) when co mpared with the wide diversity (31% similarity) found in the group iso lated from soil. These results suggest that M. anisopliae var. anisopl iae has developed host specificity.