coffee
mealybugs
mutualism
roots
sporocarps
café
cochinillas harinosas
mutualismo
esporocarpos
biotrófico
Some Pseudococcidae species interact with Coffea arabica’s roots and are associated with basidiomycete fungi. The fungal mycelium envelops the roots, which hinders their water and nutrient absorption. Combined with the feeding activity of the insects, this results in chlorosis, defoliation, and even plant death. Despite the significance of these interactions, they remain under-studied. To investigate the relationship between sporocarps found at the base of coffee trees, the cysts covering their roots, and the mealybug insects within them, samples of these three organisms—sporocarps, cysts, and mealybugs—were collected from 27 coffee plants across three farms in the departments of Norte de Santander and QuindÃo, Colombia. Fungi and cysts were identified by sequencing a nuclear gene region of the 28S large ribosomal subunit (28S rDNA) using the primers LSU200-F and LSU481-R. Fungal identification was further confirmed through classical taxonomy. Mealybugs were identified by sequencing a region of the mitochondrial gene Cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) with CIF-CIR primers, corroborated through classical taxonomy. This study identified four fungal species associated with four species of Pseudococcidae. The fungus Phlebopus beniensis was associated with the mealybugs Pseudococcus elisae, Dysmicoccus neobrevipes, D. brevipes, and Pseudococcus nr. sociabilis. Phlebopus portentosus was linked to D. neobrevipes, while Xerophorus olivascens and Boletinellus rompelii were associated with other Pseudococcidae species. Additionally, the fungus Pseudolaccaria pachyphylla was found in coffee plants harboring mealybugs. These findings confirm the existence of specific associations between fungal species and mealybug insects that affect coffee plants.
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