Comparing the mortality of Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis (Coleoptera: Cetoniidae) caused by entomopathogenic bacteria and Serratia marcescens (Enterobacteriales: Enterobacteriaceae)

Abstract

To investigate whether Serratia marcescens (Enterobacteriales: Enterobacteriaceae) isolated from Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis(Coleoptera: Cetoniidae) acts as an opportunistic bacterium in peroral infection, the primary entomopathogenic bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bacillales: Bacillaceae) and Paenibacillus popilliae (Eubacteriales: Bacillaceae) were added to sawdust to perform a bioassay experiment. We found that peroral infection caused by S. marcescens could be fatal beyond a concentration of 4 × 10 8 pfu/mL in 2 nd stage P. b. seulensis larvae