Beauveria

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Beauveria
Beauveria bassiana 16552.jpg
Cicada killed by Beauveria
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Sordariomycetes
Order: Hypocreales
Family: Cordycipitaceae
Genus: Beauveria
Vuill. (1912)
Type species
Beauveria bassiana
(Bals.-Criv.) Vuill.

Beauveria is a genus of asexually-reproducing fungi allied with the ascomycete family Cordycipitaceae. [1] Its several species are typically insect pathogens. The sexual states (teleomorphs) of Beauveria species, where known, are species of Cordyceps .

Beauveria species are white entomopathogenic fungi. They form unicellular conidia that are typically hydrophobic and very small. The conidia are formed holoblastically from basally inflated conidiogenous cells. After conidium production, the conidiogenous cell elongates before producing another conidium atop a small denticle (a narrow projection bearing a conidium or sporangium). The result is the formation of a distinctive, slender, zig-zag rachis. Colonies of Beauveria species are typically white or off-white on artificial culture media.

Species of Tritirachium resemble Beauveria species in having a zig-zag conidiogenous cells, but differ in lacking conspicuous denticles and in producing yellow-brown to purple colonies.

Beauveria species are commonly found associated with insects or habitats supporting insects, including soil and private dwellings. B. bassiana , the most widely known member of this genus, has been developed as a biological pesticide for various insect pests.

Species

Sporulation in grasshoppers Beauveria.jpg
Sporulation in grasshoppers

A multilocus phylogeny of Beauveria based on partial sequences of RPB1, RPB2, TEF and the nuclear intergenic region, Bloc, has been described to assess diversity within the genus and to evaluate the taxonomic status of species. [2] B. bassiana and B. brongniartii, both of which represent species complexes and which previously lacked type specimens, were redescribed and types are proposed in this paper. In addition six new species were described including B. varroae and B. kipukae, which form a biphyletic, morphologically cryptic sister lineage to B. bassiana. B. sungii is an Asian species that is linked to an undetermined species of Cordyceps. The combination B. amorpha was considered validly published; previous literature also refers to invalid B. felina and B. globulifera.

B. simplex is now Acrodontium simplex ; B. nivea is Tolypocladium inflatum .

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<i>Beauveria bassiana</i> Species of fungus

Beauveria bassiana is a fungus that grows naturally in soils throughout the world and acts as a parasite on various arthropod species, causing white muscardine disease; it thus belongs to the group of entomopathogenic fungi. It is used as a biological insecticide to control a number of pests, including termites, thrips, whiteflies, aphids and various beetles. Its use in the control of bed bugs and malaria-transmitting mosquitos is under investigation.

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<i>Cordyceps locustiphila</i> Species of fungus

Cordyceps locustiphila is the basionym and teleomorph of the fungi Beauveria locustiphila, a species of fungus in the family Cordycipitaceae. and is a species within the genus Cordyceps. It was originally described in by Henn in 1904. C. locustiphila is an entomopathogen and obligate parasite of the grasshopper species within the genus Colpolopha or Tropidacris, and as such is endemic to South America. The scientific name is derived from its close relationship with its host, being named after locusts. The fungi was renamed to Beauveria locustiphila in 2017 following research into the family Cordycipitaceae. Following the loss of the species type specimen, new studies were conducted that now recommend that the fungi be divided into 3 species. C. locustiphila, C. diapheromeriphila, and C. acridophila.

References

  1. Sung GH, Hywel-Jones NL, Sung JM, Luangsa-ard JJ, Shrestha B, Spatafora JW (2007). "Phylogenetic classification of Cordyceps and the clavicipitaceous fungi". Studies in Mycology. 57: 5–59. doi:10.3114/sim.2007.57.01. PMC   2104736 . PMID   18490993. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  2. Rehner, Stephen A.; Minnis, Andrew M.; Sung, Gi-Ho; Luangsaard, J. Jennifer; Devotto, Luis; Humber, Richard A. (2011). "Phylogeny and systematics of the anamorphic, entomopathogenic genus Beauveria". Mycologia. 103 (5): 1055–1073. doi:10.3852/10-302. PMID   21482632. S2CID   39902951.