{"title":"Taxonomy and systematics of the fungus-growing ant associate Escovopsis (Hypocreaceae)","authors":"Q.V. Montoya, M.J.S. Martiarena, A. Rodrigues","doi":"10.3114/sim.2023.106.06","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Escovopsis is a symbiont of fungus-growing ant colonies. Unstandardised taxonomy prevented the evaluation of the morphological diversity of Escovopsis for more than a century. The aim of this study is to create a standardised taxonomic framework to assess the morphological and phylogenetic diversity of Escovopsis . Therefore, to set the foundation for Escovopsis taxonomy and allow interspecific comparisons within the genus, we redescribe the ex-type cultures of Escovopsis aspergilloides , E. clavata , E. lentecrescens , E. microspora , E. moelleri , E. multiformis , and E. weberi . Thus, based on the parameters adopted in this study combined with phylogenetic analyses using five molecular markers, we synonymize E. microspora with E. weberi , and introduce 13 new species isolated from attine nests collected in Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Panama: E. breviramosa , E. chlamydosporosa , E. diminuta , E. elongatistipitata , E. gracilis , E. maculosa , E. papillata , E. peniculiformis , E. phialicopiosa , E. pseudocylindrica , E. rectangula , E. rosisimilis , and E. spicaticlavata . Our results revealed a great interspecific morphological diversity throughout Escovopsis . Notwithstanding, colony growth rates at different temperatures, as well as vesicle shape, appear to be the most outstanding features distinguishing species in the genus. This study fills an important gap in the systematics of Escovopsis that will allow future researchers to unravel the genetic and morphological diversity and species diversification of these attine ant symbionts.","PeriodicalId":22036,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Mycology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":14.1000,"publicationDate":"2023-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"1","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Studies in Mycology","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3114/sim.2023.106.06","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"MYCOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 1
Abstract
Escovopsis is a symbiont of fungus-growing ant colonies. Unstandardised taxonomy prevented the evaluation of the morphological diversity of Escovopsis for more than a century. The aim of this study is to create a standardised taxonomic framework to assess the morphological and phylogenetic diversity of Escovopsis . Therefore, to set the foundation for Escovopsis taxonomy and allow interspecific comparisons within the genus, we redescribe the ex-type cultures of Escovopsis aspergilloides , E. clavata , E. lentecrescens , E. microspora , E. moelleri , E. multiformis , and E. weberi . Thus, based on the parameters adopted in this study combined with phylogenetic analyses using five molecular markers, we synonymize E. microspora with E. weberi , and introduce 13 new species isolated from attine nests collected in Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Panama: E. breviramosa , E. chlamydosporosa , E. diminuta , E. elongatistipitata , E. gracilis , E. maculosa , E. papillata , E. peniculiformis , E. phialicopiosa , E. pseudocylindrica , E. rectangula , E. rosisimilis , and E. spicaticlavata . Our results revealed a great interspecific morphological diversity throughout Escovopsis . Notwithstanding, colony growth rates at different temperatures, as well as vesicle shape, appear to be the most outstanding features distinguishing species in the genus. This study fills an important gap in the systematics of Escovopsis that will allow future researchers to unravel the genetic and morphological diversity and species diversification of these attine ant symbionts.
Escovopsis是真菌生长蚁群的共生体。一个多世纪以来,未标准化的分类方法阻碍了对蛇尾草形态多样性的评估。本研究的目的是建立一个标准化的分类框架,以评估Escovopsis的形态和系统发育多样性。因此,为了为Escovopsis分类奠定基础,并允许在属内进行种间比较,我们重新描述了Escovopsis aspergilloides, E. clavata, E. lentecrescens, E. microspora, E. moelleri, E. multiformis和E. weberi的前型培养。因此,基于本研究所采用的参数,结合5个分子标记的系统发育分析,我们将小孢子e与weberi进行了同义化,并引入了从阿根廷、巴西、哥斯达黎加、墨西哥和巴拿马采集的阿丁巢中分离的13个新种:e . breviramosa e . chlamydosporosa e . diminuta e . elongatistipitata e .股薄肌e . maculosa e . papillata e . peniculiformis e . phialicopiosa e . pseudocylindrica e . rectangula大肠rosisimilis,大肠spicaticlavata。我们的研究结果揭示了整个Escovopsis的巨大种间形态多样性。尽管如此,不同温度下的菌落生长速度以及囊泡形状似乎是该属中区分物种的最显著特征。这项研究填补了蚁群系统学的重要空白,为未来的研究人员揭示这些蚁群共生体的遗传和形态多样性以及物种多样性提供了基础。
期刊介绍:
The international journal Studies in Mycology focuses on advancing the understanding of filamentous fungi, yeasts, and various aspects of mycology. It publishes comprehensive systematic monographs as well as topical issues covering a wide range of subjects including biotechnology, ecology, molecular biology, pathology, and systematics. This Open-Access journal offers unrestricted access to its content.
Each issue of Studies in Mycology consists of around 5 to 6 papers, either in the form of monographs or special focused topics. Unlike traditional length restrictions, the journal encourages submissions of manuscripts with a minimum of 50 A4 pages in print. This ensures a thorough exploration and presentation of the research findings, maximizing the depth of the published work.