THE GREEN MUSCAEDINE FUNGUS. 



25 



beetU^s kille<l liy tlif fungus have been buried so as to infect the 

 soil." It is not apparent that any practical results canfe from this 

 work. 



At the Experiment Station at Rio Piedras in connection witli 

 cultural studies of the fungus Mr. Johnston, then pathologist, carried 

 on in 1912 a series of inoculation tests in screened cages. Beetles 

 and larvai {I'hifllophaga vaiKlinri for the most part) were obtained 

 from the vicinity of Aiiasco. and Santa Rita, Guanica. These were 

 stored in tlii'cc cages until transferred to the inoculating cages. It 

 may be noted that ten beetles were found infected in these supply 

 cages as the transfer was being made, pointing again to the natural 

 ■occurrence of the fungus. 



In addition to the Metarrhizium trials, other entomogenous 

 fungi secured from France were used in a similar fashion. These 

 were Sttrif/nialocijstis fcrrugiunis, Sporotrichiim globiilifermn, Isaria 

 ilensa, and Bolrijtis Bassiana. No positive results were obtained 

 witli these, ])ut on the other hand the beetles in each of the boxes 

 in which these fungi were employed showed infection with Metarr- 

 hizium, as will be noted hereafter. 



The Metarrhizium material used was a transfer from an. isola- 

 tion made from infected insects received from Hawaii. In each case 

 the fungus material was scraped oflf the surface of the medium (yam 

 <?ylinders) and placed with distilled water in an atomizer. The sur- 

 face of each box was thoroughly sprayed with the spore suspension, 

 and the culture medium itself placed on the surface of the soil. The 

 beetles were then added from the supply boxes and observations taken 

 from time to time. All beetles found dead were held for full devel- 

 opment of any fungus that might be present, so as to permit of exact 

 determinations. 



As the results obtained were much the same for all, details of 

 the examination of but one box are given, as per the following table : 



Infection of May-Beetles by Metarrhizivm (Box No. 1). 



Totiil flci'd. liHi; intri-i.d liv M rtftnhizhim. 38. 



