A Mid-Cretaceous Ectoparasitic Fungus, Spheciophila adercia gen et sp. nov., Attached to a Wasp in Myanmar Amber

George Poinar Jr

doi:10.4172/2165-8056.1000145

Abstract

A mid-Cretaceous ectoparasitic fungus in Myanmar amber is described as Spheciophila adercia gen. et sp. nov. in the new Family Spheciophilaceae fam. nov. While the specimen shares an ectoparasitic habit with representatives of the Laboulbeniales, morphological and behavioral features are not consistent with members of that group. The fossil is attached to the abdominal tergite of a primitive wasp. Its presence establishes a unique lineage of ectoparasitic insect fungi in the mid-Cretaceous. The present paper describes this interesting fossil, which adds to the diversity of ectoparasitic fungi and their insect hosts some 100 mya.

Highlights

The fossil record of entomogenous fungi is not extensive, with most cases representing ectoparasitic forms found on the body surface of insects in Tertiary amber [1,2,3]
Spermatia produced in antheridial appendages fertilize perithecia, with the latter forming the major portion of the thallus
The recumbent orientation of Spheciophila adercia gen et sp. nov. on its host is another character that separates it from the Laboulbeniales, which are normally vertically or sub-vertically positioned on their host [6,7]

Summary

Introduction

The fossil record of entomogenous fungi is not extensive, with most cases representing ectoparasitic forms found on the body surface of insects in Tertiary amber [1,2,3]. While several groups of fungi parasitize the integument of arthropods [4,5], the most common and only group that forms thalli on the surface of arthropods is the Laboulbeniales [6,7]. This Order consists of small, microscopic obligate ectoparasites that normally occur on the integument of their hosts. As in members of the genus Hesperomyces, the haustoria extend through the body wall and obtain nutrients from the haemocoel [8]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion