Hexamermis jengi n. sp. (Nematoda: Mermithidae) parasitizing grasshoppers and the invasive fall armyworm in Taiwan and Thailand
Journal
Journal of Invertebrate Pathology
Journal Volume
217
ISSN
0022-2011
Date Issued
2026-07
Author(s)
Lee, Ping-Chieh
Amarga, Ace Kevin S.
Chen, Wen-Hua
Wu, Li-Hsin
Chiu, Chun-I
Abstract
The fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith, 1797), a polyphagous noctuid pest native to the Americas, has rapidly spread worldwide in recent years. Mermithid infections, particularly involving the genera Ovomermis and Hexamermis , have been reported along its invasion routes of S. frugiperda in Africa and Asia. In 2019, the same year that the fall armyworm invasion was first detected in Taiwan, mermithid infections were observed not only in S. frugiperda but also in two sympatric grasshopper species, Pseudoxya diminuta and Atractomorpha sinensis . Morphological and molecular evidence indicate that these mermithids represent a new species, Hexamermis jengi n. sp., which is morphologically similar to Ovomermis sinensis . Molecular data further suggest that Hexamermis jengi n. sp. exhibits a wide distribution range as it is reported in Taiwan and Thailand, and most likely to occur in neighboring Southeast Asian countries. In addition, field surveys of grasshopper hosts revealed a higher prevalence and infection intensity in A. sinensis compared to P. diminuta , with male-biased sex ratios associated with greater infection intensity. However, unlike previous studies on Lepidoptera, grasshopper infection rates were correlated with temperature rather than rainfall.
Publisher
Academic Press Inc.
Description
Article number 108632
Type
journal article