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A new species of pyxidiophora and its Thaxteriola anamorph

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Nine genera of minute nonmycelial fungi characterized by a thallus of one to 15 cells in linear arrangement, a usually darkened holdfast, and often endospores cut off in succession are known from arthropod hosts. The taxonomic relationship of these minute fungi, including Thaxteriola, has been the subject of speculation, and morphological comparisons have been made to the Laboulbeniales. One genus has been synonymized with Pyxidiophora in the Hypocreales. The discovery of a new species of Pyxidiophora with a Thaxteriola anamorph on mites associated with the southern pine beetle gives new evidence of relationships and points out the importance of a mycological curiosity as a dispersal stage. This anamorph is nonmycelial, highly specialized, and unlike any known for an ascomycete.

Keywords

Pyxidiophora, Thaxteriola, Dendroctonus, entomogenous fungi, mites, taxonomy

Citation

Blackwell, Meredith; Perry, Thelma J.; Bridges, Robert J.; Moser, John C. 1986. A new species of pyxidiophora and its Thaxteriola anamorph. Mycologia, Vol. 78(4): 605-612
Citations
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/22443