New nephridiophagid genera (Fungi, Chytridiomycota) in a mallow beetle and an earwig

By

Radek, Renate
Wurzbacher, Christian
Strassert, Jürgen F. H.

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2023

Original Publication

MycoKeys

Volume

100

Pages

245--260

Subjects

Chytrids , Forficula auricularia , Malpighian tubules , Malpighivinco podagricae , Nephridiochytrium forficulae , Nephridiophaga , Phylogeny , Podagrica malvae

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers 2011-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.100.111298

 

Abstract

Nephridiophagids are unicellular fungi (Chytridiomycota) that infect the Malpighian tubules of insects. Most species have been found in cockroach hosts and belong to the genus Nephridiophaga. Three additional genera have been described from beetles and an earwig. Here, we characterise morphologically and molecular phylogenetically the nephridiophagids of the European earwig Forficula auricularia and the mallow beetle Podagrica malvae. Their morphology and life cycle stages resemble those of other nephridiophagids, but their rRNA gene sequences support the existence of two additional genera. Whereas the earwig nephridiophagid (Nephridiochytrium forficulaegen. nov. et sp. nov.) forms a sister lineage of the Nephridiophaga cluster, the mallow beetle nephridiophagid (Malpighivinco podagricaegen. nov. et sp. nov.) represents the earliest divergent lineage within the nephridiophagids, being sister to all other species. Our results corroborate the hypothesis that different insect groups harbour distinct nephridiophagid lineages.