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Entomophthorales

Entomophthorales
Entomophthora muscae
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Entomophthoromycota
Class: Entomophthoromycetes
Order: Entomophthorales
Winter 1880
Families

Ancylistaceae
Completoriaceae
Entomophthoraceae
Meristacraceae
Neozygitaceae

Synonyms
  • Ancylistales Vines 1888 ex Schröter 1893
  • Ancylistineae Schröter 1893

The Entomophthorales are an order of fungi that were previously classified in the class Zygomycetes. A new subdivision, Entomophthoromycotina, in 2007, was circumscribed for them.[1]

Most species of the entomophthorales are pathogens of insects. A few attack nematodes, mites, and tardigrades, and some (particularly species of the genus Conidiobolus) are free-living saprotrophs.

The name "entomophthorales" is derived from the Ancient Greek for insect destroyer (entomo- = referring to insects, and phthor = "destruction"). Named after genus Entomophthora in 1856.[2]

Green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, killed by the fungus Pandora neoaphidis (Zygomycota: Entomophthorales) Scale bar = 0.3 mm.

Highlighted species

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Biology

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Most species of the entomophthorales produce ballistic asexual spores that are forcibly discharged. When not landing on a suitable host, these spores can germinate to make one of several alternate spore forms, including a smaller version of the original spore, or (in some species) an adhesive spore elevated on a very slender conidiophore called a capilliconidiophore.

Classification

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Debates have centred on whether the Basidiobolaceae should be included in the entomophthorales, or raised to ordinal status. Molecular systematics approaches so far give an ambiguous answer. Some analyses suggest the Basidiobolaceae are more closely related to certain chytrid fungi than to the entomophthorales.[4] and place it within the Chytridiales order.[5] Others find weak support to maintain them in the Entomophthorales.[6] Morphological characters can be found to support either hypothesis.

References

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  1. ^ Hibbett DS, Binder M, Bischoff JF, et al. (May 2007). "A higher-level phylogenetic classification of the Fungi". Mycol. Res. 111 (Pt 5): 509–47. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.626.9582. doi:10.1016/j.mycres.2007.03.004. PMID 17572334.
  2. ^ Fresenius, G. 1856. Botanische Zeitung 14, 882-883.
  3. ^ Dromph KM, Eilenberg J, Esbjerg P (November 2001). "Natural occurrence of entomophthoralean fungi pathogenic to collembolans". J. Invertebr. Pathol. 78 (4): 226–31. doi:10.1006/jipa.2002.5077. PMID 12009804.
  4. ^ Nagahama, T.; Sato, H.; Shimazu, M.; Sugiyama, J. (1995). "Phylogenetic divergence of the entomophthoralean fungi: evidence from nuclear 18S ribosomal RNA gene sequences". Mycologia. 87 (2): 203–209. doi:10.2307/3760906. JSTOR 3760906.
  5. ^ Carl A. Batt and Pradip Patel (Editors) Encyclopedia of Food Microbiology (2014), p. 59, at Google Books
  6. ^ James, T. Y.; Kauff, F.; Schoch, C. L.; et al. (2006). "Reconstructing the early evolution of Fungi using a six-gene phylogeny". Nature. 443 (7113): 818–823. doi:10.1038/nature05110. PMID 17051209.
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