Transcending sea turtles: First report of hatching failure in eggs of an Amazonian freshwater turtle with symptoms of the fungal emerging disease fusariosis

摘要: During the last few decades, fungal pathogens have caused devastating population declines across a broad range of taxa. A newly emerging fungal disease, sea turtle egg fusariosis, caused by members of the Fusarium solani species complex (FSSC), has been reported to be responsible for hatching failure in sea turtles worldwide. However, this has not been detected in fresh water turtle species. Here, using relocated clutches and artificial incubation, we report high hatching failure in eggs symptomatic of fusariosis in the yellow‐spotted Amazon River turtle (Podocnemis unifilis) inhabiting a pristine environment in the Ecuadorian Amazon. In 2020, we screened 680 eggs of the yellow‐spotted Amazon River turtle, relocated from wild nesting areas to artificial nests, for visual symptoms of fusariosis and to estimate hatchability despite infection. We selected 68 eggs sampled in 2019 to confirm Fusarium infection by …