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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Ithaca, New York » Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture & Health » Emerging Pests and Pathogens Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #282870
Title: Phylogenetic lineages in Entomophthoromycota

Author
item GRYGANSKYI,, ANDRII - Duke University
item Humber, Richard
item SMITH,, MATTHEW - University Of Florida
item HODGE,, KATHIE - Cornell University
item HUANG,, BO - Anhui Agricultural University
item VOIGT,, KERSTIN - Friedrick-Schiller University
item VILGALYS,, RYTAS - Duke University

Submitted to: Persoonia: Molecular Phylogeny and Evolution of Fungi
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/2/2013
Publication Date: 3/19/2013
Citation: Gryganskyi, A.P., Humber, R.A., Smith,, M.E., Hodge, K., Huang, B., Voigt, K., Vilgalys, R. 2013. Phylogenetic lineages in Entomophthoromycota. Persoonia: Molecular Phylogeny and Evolution of Fungi. 30:94-105.

Interpretive Summary: This paper builds further on the molecularly based examination of fungi in the newly described phylum Entomophthoromycota; this group appears to represent the oldest fungi having no swimming (flagellate) spores in their life history, and one of the largest and most important groups of fungi pathogens affecting insect and mite pests of agricultural, veterinary, and medical importance. These studies examined about 40% of the taxa in this group and shows how these molecular results identify and can help to solve existing taxonomic problems. These studies provide gene-based confirmation for the outlines of the newest taxonomy of these fungi. The discussion of these results should help to focus future efforts to collect, to culture, and to classify these fungi concentrating on those taxa with the most critical needs for taxonomic revisions and clarifications.

Technical Abstract: Entomophthoromycota Humber is one of five major phylogenetic lineages among the former phylum Zygomycota. These early terrestrial fungi share evolutionarily ancestral characters such as coenocytic mycelium and gametangiogamy as a sexual process resulting in zygospore formation. Previous molecular studies have shown the monophyly of Entomophthoromycota, thus justifying raising the taxonomic status of these fungi to a phylum. Multi-gene phylogenies have identified five major lineages of Entomophthoromycota. In this review we provide a detailed discussion about the biology and taxonomy of these lineages: (I) Basidiobolus (Basidiobolomycetes: Basidiobolaceae; primarily saprobic), (II) Conidiobolus (Entomophthoromycetes, Ancylistaceae; several clades of saprobes and invertebrate pathogens), as well as three rapidly evolving entomopathogenic lineages in the family Entomophthoraceae centering around (III) Batkoa, (IV) Entomophthora and allied genera, and (V) the subfamily Erynioideae which includes Zoophthora and allied genera. Molecular phylogenic analysis has recently determined the relationships of several taxa that were previously unresolved based on morphology alone: Eryniopsis, Macrobiotophthora, Massospora, Strongwellsea and two as yet undescribed genera of Basidiobolaceae.