Occurrence of Metarhizium spp. in Central Brazilian soils.

The biodiversity of entomopathogenic fungi in tropical ecosystems is still little investigated, and the objective of this study was to isolate and identify fungi of the entomopathogenic genus Metarhizium (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) present in undisturbed soils of the Central Brazilian Cerrado. A total of 107 Metarhizium isolates was obtained from soils collected from Cerrado sites in the state of Goiás; gene sequences from 63 of these were obtained and compared. Among these, one was confirmed to be M. anisopliae sensu stricto; 53 were very closely allied to M. anisopliae but require more extensive genetic characterization to determine if they might represent a new taxon in the M. anisopliae species complex. Eight of these Cerrado isolates were referable to M. robertsii, and the remaining isolate is the first South American (and Southern Hemisphere) collection of M. flavoviride var. pemphigi. These findings underline the need for better characterization of the diversity of these widely distributed fungi in Brazil.