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| Troglomyces twitteri Santam., Enghoff & Reboleira male Cambala annulata image by Derek Hennen. The red circles indicate two thalli of Laboulbeniales.
in Santamaria, Enghoff & Reboleira, 2020.
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Abstract
Laboulbeniales are highly specialized arthropod-associated fungi. The majority of the almost 2200 known species live on insects, although they also occur on other arthropod hosts. Recently, the number of Laboulbeniales associated with millipedes has increased considerably. Here we describe the first species of a Laboulbeniales fungus, Troglomyces twitteri sp. nov., from an American millipede. The new species was initially discovered on a photo of Cambala annulata (Say, 1821) from Ohio, USA, which had been shared on Twitter. A subsequent microscopic study of Cambala millipedes in museum collections in Denmark and France confirmed the discovery.
Keywords: animal-fungus interaction, collections-based research, Diplopoda, Laboulbeniaceae, social media
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| Figure 1. Cambala annulata, male. USA, Ohio, Adams County, West Union, Greene Township, Edge of Appalachia Preserve System, Abner Hollow Rd., on Bisher Dolostone Cliffs, 38.7139N, 83.4187W, 26 Jun 2014; M. Zloba leg. Original of image shared on Twitter on 31 Oct 2018 by Derek Hennen. Courtesy of D. Hennen. The red circles indicate two thalli of Laboulbeniales. |
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| Figure 2. Troglomyces twitteri Santam., Enghoff & Reboleira, sp. nov. A–D mature thalli with labelling of cells and other elements in B, C E, F detail of perithecium at two focusing levels to show the slightly longer lip (E, arrow), and tooth-like outgrowth (F, arrow). In Fig. F, cell VI is labelled G detail of an immature thallus showing the trichogyne (tr) and the antheridium (an).
Scale bars: 50 µm (A–D), 25 µm (E–G).
Photographs from: slides GA003-1 (A, D), GA003-2 (E–G), and C-F-95157 (B, C).
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Taxonomy:
Order Laboulbeniales Lindau
Suborder Laboulbeniineae Thaxt
Family Laboulbeniaceae Peyr
Subfamily Laboulbenioideae s. str.
Tribe Laboulbenieae Thaxt
Subtribe Stigmatomycetinae (Thaxt.) I.I. Tav.
Genus Troglomyces S. Colla,
Nuovo Giornale Botanico Italiano 39: 450 (1932).
Type species: T. manfrediae S. Colla
Brief description: Receptacle three-celled. Cell III very narrow and adnate to the perithecium. Perithecium with 5-6 outer wall cells in each vertical row. Perithecial apex typically with four protruding lips. Nine species.
Troglomyces twitteri Santam., Enghoff & Reboleira, sp. nov.
Diagnosis: Septa II–III and II–VI approximately at the same level. Dorsal and ventral margin of cell II of equal to subequal height, in contrast to all other Troglomyces, such that cell II is not adnate to either cell VI or the perithecium. Primary appendage branched. Perithecial apex bearing four slightly protruding lips, one of them being longer.
Etymology: Named after the social media platform Twitter, where it was observed for the first time.
Sergi Santamaria, Henrik Enghoff and Ana Sofia Reboleira. 2020. The First Laboulbeniales (Ascomycota, Laboulbeniomycetes) from An American Millipede, discovered through Social Media. MycoKeys. 67: 45-53. DOI: 10.3897/mycokeys.67.51811
Bizarre new species discovered... on Twitter
