LOCATION AND PERSISTENCE OF CADAVERS OF GYPSY-MOTH, LYMANTRIA-DISPAR,CONTAINING ENTOMOPHAGA-MAIMAIGA AZYGOSPORES

Entomophaga maimaiga produces azygospores (=resting spores) within cad avers of late instar kgypsy moth, Lymantria dispar. Production of thes e spores and their deposition in overwintering sites was studied in a series of field experiments. Cadavers bearing azygospores were predomi nantly found attached to tree trunks while cadavers bearing only conid ia were found on leaves, twigs, and branches. Only 11.1-42.7% of cadav ers remained attached to tree trunks after 21 da. For 50% of cadavers present after 50 da, only part of the cadaver remained and this was ti ghtly attached to the tree bark. From 4-21 days after cadavers fell to the ground, cadavers disappeared, supposedly disintegrating as azygos pores were leached into the soil in association with rain. Cadaver dis appearance was associated with the amount and frequency of rainfall. I n summary, the majority of cadavers bearing azygospores are intact for only approximate to 1-2 month before decomposition.