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TAXONOMIC POSITION OF TERMITARIA AND MATTIROLELLA (ENTOMOGENOUS DEUTEROMYCETES)
Author(s) -
Khan Saeed R.,
Kimbrough James W.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
american journal of botany
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.218
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1537-2197
pISSN - 0002-9122
DOI - 10.1002/j.1537-2197.1974.tb12257.x
Subject(s) - biology , reticulitermes , thallus , fungus , botany , zoology , anatomy , rhinotermitidae
Termitaria snyderi Thaxter is found in and around Gainesville, Florida, infecting the subterranean termites Reticulitermes virginicus (Banks) and R. flavipes (Kollar). The fungus forms sporodochia‐like structures on the exoskeleton of the termites. These structures have a subhymenium of tightly held phialides. The phialides cut off phialoconidia apically in basipetal succession into the collarettes at conidiogenous loci. The basal layer of the thallus has certain thick‐walled cells that send haustoria into the integument of the host termite. Termitaria appears to be closely related to another cuticle‐infecting parasite of termites, Mattirolella Colla. A new species of the latter, M. crustosa , is described here. The relationships of the two genera are discussed and a new order of Deuteromycetes, Termitariales is proposed for them.