Nephridiochytrium forficulae Radek & Strassert, 2023

Radek, Renate, Wurzbacher, Christian & Strassert, Juergen F. H., 2023, New nephridiophagid genera (Fungi, Chytridiomycota) in a mallow beetle and an earwig, MycoKeys 100, pp. 245-260 : 245

Nephridiochytrium forficulae Radek & Strassert sp. nov.

Etymology.

“forficulae” refers to the host, an earwig of the genus Forficula .

Diagnosis.

Oval, flattened spores measuring 5.8-6.9 (mean 6.3) × 2.9-3.5 (mean 3.2) μm; 13-37 (mean 19) spores per sporogenic plasmodium; central capped spore-opening at one side of mature spores. Oligo- and multinucleated vegetative plasmodia.

Type host.

Forficula auricularia Linnaeus 1758 ( Dermaptera , Forficulidae ). COII gene accession number MN528021.

Type host locality.

Tours, France.

Syntype.

Cells in Fig. 1 .

Gene sequence.

rDNA operon acc. no. MW018149.

Figures

Figure 1. Nephridiophagid (Nephridiochytrium forficulae) from Forficula auricularia A-D differential interference microscopy (DIC) E, F Giemsa staining G, H scanning electron microscopy (SEM) I-M transmission electron microscopy (TEM) A Malpighian tubule filled with vegetative plasmodia (vp), young sporogenic plasmodia (ysp) and mature sporogenic plasmodia (msp) B young spores have a thin, yet transparent spore wall and a nucleus positioned near a cell pole or centrally C left plasmodium with large mature spores, right plasmodium with smaller, younger spores. Arrow points to plasma membrane D single mature spores E Giemsa staining reveals residual nuclei (arrows) of the plasmodium between mature spores F vegetative plasmodium with stained nuclei. s = spores G, H flattened oval spores with rim and a central spore opening on one side (G) I ultrathin section through a Malpighian tubule infected with different stages: small, uninucleate merozoites (m), vegetative plasmodia with several nuclei, sporogenic plasmodia (sp) and mature spores. n = nucleus. The epithelium of the Malpighian tubule (M) contains concretions (cr) J young sporogenic plasmodium containing young spores with a thin spore-wall (sw), one nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum (er) and mitochondria (mi) K part of a mature sporogenic plasmodium with a residual nucleus and two mature spores with a centrally located nucleus and a thick spore-wall L cross-section of a mature spore in the degenerating plasmodial cytoplasm. The spore wall consists of five layers (1 - 5). ve = vesicles M mature spore in longitudinal section showing the thin-walled cap of the spore opening (so). Scale bars: 50 µm (A); 10 µm (B-F, I); 5 µm (G, H, J); 2 µm (K); 1 µm (L, M).