re-record and spore ultrastructure of nosema melasomae sidor & jodal 1986, a microsporidian pathogen of crysomela populi (coleoptera: chrysomelidae)

Background: chrysomela (=melasoma) populi is one of the most serious pests on poplar plantations. in the present study, a microsporidian pathogen, nosema melasomae infecting crysomela populi is re-recorded from a new geographical locality and its spore ultrastructure is given for the first time. methods: larvae and adults of c. populi were dissected in ringer’s solution and prepared wet smears were examined under a microscope. detected fresh and stained spores were measured and photographed using an olympus bx51 microscope with a dp-25 digital camera and a dp2-bsw soft imaging system. the ultrastructure of the pathogen was studied with a philips em 208 transmission electron microscope using standard preparation techniques as previously described results: fresh spores of the microsporidian pathogen are elongate, 4.86 ± 0.71 μm in length and 1.64 ± 0.19 μm in width. the spore wall is considerable thin, measured 60 to 100 nm and consists of a clear endospore (40 to 80 nm) and an electron-dense, uniform exospore (15 to 30 nm). the polar filament is isofilar and has only 6-8 coils. nuclei in the cell are 400-560 nm in diameter. the polaroplast has a thin lamellated structure. conclusion: the pathogen from c. populi is n. melasomae sidor & jodal, 1986 and its systematic position given by sidor and jodal. the spore ultrastructure of n. melasomae differs from those of other microsporidia infecting chrysomelids.