Identifying Insects Found in Stored Nuts, Isolating and Identifying the Fungi Associated with them in Basra Governorate

Objectives: The current study was conducted in Basrah Governorate and aimed to identify insects that found in stored nuts in some districts and suburbs of the governorate. Methods: Six species of insects were identified, three of which belong to the order Coleoptera, two species belong to the order Lepidoptera, and one species belongs to the order Hemiptera. A phenotypic description was given for complete insects and their parts, supported by pictures. The identified species are: Order: Coleoptera, Family: Dermestidae, Genus: Trogoderma 1- Trogoderma granarium (Everts, 1898), Family: Silvanidae, Genus: Oryzaephilus. L, 2- Oryzaephilus surinamensis, Family: Tenebrionidae, Genus: Tribolium, 3- Tribolium castaneum (Herbst, 1797), Order: Hemiptera, Family: Anthocoridae, Genus: Xylocoris 4- Xylocoris flavipes (Rruter, 1875), Order: Lepidoptera, Family: Gelechiida, Genus: Sitortroga, 5- Sitortroga cerealella, Family: Pyralidae, Genus: Plodia, 6-Plodia interpunctella. Results: The fungi associated with these insects have also been isolated and identified. The results showed the appearance of four fungal species, including the Penicillium spp., Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, and the Rhizopus spp. Conclusions: Penicillium spp. was dominant in 40% of the total fungal isolated.