A survey for pathogens of the black field cricket, Teleogryllus commodus, in the Western District of Victoria,Australia

A pathogen survey of the black field cricket, Teleogryllus commodus, in the Western District of Victoria, Australia, during 1979 revealed that cricket paralysis virus (CrPV) was present in 42.7% of the 232 sites sampled. The fungus Metarhizium anisopliae was detected in 5.2% of the sites and represents a new pathogen record for T. commodus. The distribution of both pathogens throughout the sites sampled appeared to be random. There was a positive correlation between sample size and the likelihood of detecting a pathogen, while analysis showed that approximately 30% of the sites were probably virus free. The results are discussed in terms of the potential of CrPV and M. anisopliae as biological control agents for the black field cricket.