ABSTRACT
Fungi are the most common pathogens found in mites, being promising candidates for the biological control of these pests. Twenty-five samples were collected from rubber tree plantations adjacent to two fragments of cerrado vegetation, cerradão andriparianforest, in Itiquira, MT, Brazil. Five transects made 50 m apart were established for each plantation; the first transect was located on the edge, near the native cerrado area; the last transect was 200 m from the edge. Five plants from each transect, 25 m apart from each other were chosen. Fifty specimens of each of 3 phytophagous species (Calacarus heveae Feres, Phyllocoptruta seringueirae Feres, and Tenuipalpus heveae Baker) were collected and mounted on microcopy slides for the observation of epizooty. The same procedure was adopted in qualitative collections for the mites on the plants located in the fragments neighboring the rubber tree crop. A relationship was found to exist between the infection by fungi and the distance from the riparian forest. Moreover, in the 2 areas of neighboring native vegetation, mites were collected infected by Hirsutella thompsonii. These areas can serve as reservoirs of fungi, mainly in the period of the natural senescence of the leaves of the rubber 3 plantations.
KEY WORDS
Acari; edge effect;
Hevea brasiliensis
;
Hirsutella thompsonii
;
Neozygites
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