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''Metarhizium anisopliae'', formerly known as ''Entomophthora anisopliae'' (basionym), is a fungus that grows naturally in soils throughout the world and causes disease in various insects by acting as a parasitoid. Ilya I. Mechnikov named it after the insect species it was originally isolated from: the beetle ''Anisoplia austriaca''. It is a mitosporic fungus with asexual reproduction, which was formerly classified in the form class Hyphomycetes of the form phylum Deuteromycota (also often called Fungi Imperfecti). It has long been recognised that many isolates are specific, and they were assigned variety status,〔 〕 but they have now been assigned as new ''Metarhizium'' species,〔 〕 such as ''M. anisopliae'', ''M. majus'' and ''M. acridum'' (which was ''M. anisopliae'' var. ''acridum'' and included the isolates used for locust control). ''Metarhizium taii'' was placed in ''M. anisopliae'' var. ''anisopliae'',〔 〕 but has now been described as a synonym of ''M. guizhouense'' (see ''Metarhizium''). The commercially important isolate M.a. 43 (a.k.a. F52, Met52, ''etc.''), which infects Coleoptera and other insect orders has now been assigned to ''Metarhizium brunneum''.〔 〕 ==Biology== The disease caused by the fungus is sometimes called green muscardine disease because of the green colour of its spores. When these mitotic (asexual) spores (called conidia) of the fungus come into contact with the body of an insect host, they germinate and the hyphae that emerge penetrate the cuticle. The fungus then develops inside the body eventually killing the insect after a few days; this lethal effect is very likely aided by the production of insecticidal cyclic peptides (destruxins). The cuticle of the cadaver often becomes red. If the ambient humidity is high enough, a white mould then grows on the cadaver that soon turns green as spores are produced. Most insects living near the soil have evolved natural defenses against entomopathogenic fungi like ''M. anisopliae''. This fungus is therefore locked in an evolutionary battle to overcome these defenses, which has led to a large number of isolates (or strains) that are adapted to certain groups of insects.〔 〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Metarhizium anisopliae」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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