Comparative toxicity of carbaryl, carbofuran, cypermethrin and fenvalerate in Metaphire posthuma and Eisenia fetida -a possible mechanism

To establish the use of Metaphire posthuma as a sensitive test model for ecotoxicological studies, acute toxicity testing of carbaryl, carbofuran, cypermethrin and fenvalerate on Eisenia fetida and Metaphire posthuma were carried out. Two different types of bioassays, contact filter paper toxicity and soil toxicity bioassays were used to determine LC50 values for these insecticides. Among the tested chemicals, carbofuran was the most toxic to both the earthworm species. In paper contact method, 72 h-LC50 values of carbofuran in M. posthuma and E. fetida were found to be 0.08 μg/cm(2) and 1.55 μg/cm(2) respectively while in soil test, 14-d LC50 values were 0.49 mg/kg and 21.15 mg/kg respectively. On comparing the toxicity data of these chemicals for both the earthworm species, M. posthuma was found to be more sensitive than E. fetida. Based on the acute toxicity data, the order of toxicity of insecticides in both the test procedures was carbofuran>cypermethrin>carbaryl>fenvalerate for M. posthuma whereas for E. fetida it was carbofuran>carbaryl>fenvalerate>cypermethrin. Morphological changes also appeared in the organisms exposed to these chemicals which were more pronounced in M. posthuma at lower concentrations than E. fetida in both the test procedures. The results of the present study advocates the use of M. posthuma for ecotoxicity studies, being a more sensitive and reliable model than E. fetida. Based on the data on partial atomic charges, structural features and spectroscopic studies on carbaryl and carbofuran, a possible mechanism of toxicity of carbamate insecticides in earthworm was proposed.