Herpomyces Thaxt.

Santamaria, Sergi & Pedersen, Jan, 2021, Laboulbeniomycetes (Fungi, Ascomycota) of Denmark, European Journal of Taxonomy 781, pp. 1-425 : 20-21

Genus Herpomyces Thaxt.

MB#2303

Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 38: 11 ( Thaxter 1902). –

Type species: H. chaetophilus Thaxt.

Brief description

Dioecious. Female thallus with an expanded, often branched, secondary axis consisting of a series of narrow cells which penetrate the host integument by small haustoria and sometimes differentiate into shield-like structures. Perithecium with an outer wall consisting of four vertical rows of numerous cells which are subequal in height. Eight spores for each ascus. Male thallus with a branched primary axis, bearing terminal long antheridia; secondary axis similar to that of the female thallus.

Remarks

The genus consists of 27 species, of which three in Europe, all in Denmark. The most recently described species is H. spegazzinii A.C.Gut. & D.Haelew. ( Gutierrez et al. 2020) . It is the single genus in the recently created order Herpomycetales . Species of Herpomyces show a particular pattern of development and organization which originally defined the suborder Herpomycetinae as separate from the Laboulbeniineae within the Laboulbeniales . According to Tavares (1985) this genus is ancestral and possibly coevolved little along with its hosts, the primitive cockroaches.

Herpomyces macropus Speg. described by Spegazzini (1917) on Blabera Serville, 1838 from Argentina has been considered by Thaxter (1931) a possible synonym of H. paranensis Thaxt. ( Thaxter 1902) , also on Blabera from several countries of America; in this case the number of species for the genus should be 26 instead of 27.

Key to the Danish species (partially following Santamaria 2003)

1. Perithecial apex bearing a subapical tooth-like outgrowth. Thallus with shield ............................. 2.

– Perithecial apex without outgrowth. Thallus without shield. On Blattella germanica (Linnaeus, 1767) ( Blattodea , Blattidae )............................................................................................ H. ectobiae Thaxt.

2. Shield entirely hyaline. On Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus, 1758) ( Blattodea , Blattidae )............. ........................................................................................................................ H. periplanetae Thaxt.

– Shield darkened at the base. On Blatta orientalis Linnaeus, 1758 ( Blattodea , Blattidae ) .................. ............................................................................................................................ H. stylopygae Speg.