More pieces to a huge puzzle: Two new Escovopsis species from fungus gardens of attine ants

MycoKeys
Quimi Vidaurre MontoyaAndre Rodrigues

Abstract

Escovopsis (Ascomycota: Hypocreales, Hypocreaceae) is the only known parasite of the mutualistic fungi cultivated by fungus-growing ants (Formicidae: Myrmicinae: Attini: Attina, the "attines"). Despite its ecological role, the taxonomy and systematics of Escovopsis have been poorly addressed. Here, based on morphological and phylogenetic analyses with three molecular markers (internal transcribed spacer, large subunit ribosomal RNA and the translation elongation factor 1-alpha), we describe Escovopsisclavatus and E.multiformis as new species isolated from fungus gardens of Apterostigma ant species. Our analysis shows that E.clavatus and E.multiformis belong to the most derived Escovopsis clade, whose main character is the presence of conidiophores with vesicles. Nevertheless, the most outstanding feature of both new species is the presence of a swollen region in the central hypha of the conidiophore named swollen cell, which is absent in all previously described Escovopsis species. The less derived Escovopsis clades lack vesicles and their phylogenetic position within the Hypocreaceae still remains unclear. Considering the high genetic diversity in Escovopsis, the description of these new species adds barely two pieces to a hug...Continue Reading

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Citations

Nov 5, 2019·Applied and Environmental Microbiology·Eric J CalderaCameron R Currie
Jul 2, 2021·Frontiers in Microbiology·Irina Jiménez-GómezAndre Rodrigues
Jun 19, 2021·Ecology and Evolution·Yuliana ChristopherHermógenes Fernández-Marín

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
scanning electron microscopy
PCR
PCA

Software Mentioned

Adobe Illustrator CC
MrBayes
MAFFT
jModelTest
LAS EZ
RAxML
Winclada
Leica Application Suite
FigTree

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