Teratomyces philonthi Thaxt.

MB#140683

Fig. 15C

Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 35: 432 (Thaxter 1900, as T. philonothi). –

Type: “On Philonthus sp. indet., British Museum, No. 365, Hungary ”; FH.

Diagnostic features

Cell IIa entirely blackened, cell IIb ± darkened, at least in the lower region (Fig. 15C, IIa, IIb). Pointed branchlets on secondary appendages strongly arcuate to coiled (Fig. 15C, arrows). Perithecium with w 1 and w 3 tiers tinged with brown contrasting with paler w 2 and w 4 tiers, showing elevations in outline where septa separate the wall cell tiers (Fig. 15C, w 1–4). [Detailed descriptions: Thaxter 1896; Santamaria 1989; Majewski 1994b]

Distribution and hosts

This species has been reported from Europe: Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain (Santamaria et al. 1991). It has been reported later also from Belgium (De Kesel & Rammeloo 1992), United Kingdom (Weir 1994), and Austria (Rossi & Christian 2020). The epithet of this species is misleading because the hosts actually belong to the genus Gabrius (Col. Staphylinidae Staphylininae). Also recorded in Africa on the related genus Gabronthus Tottenham, 1955 from Zaire (Rossi & Santamaria 1992). De Kesel et al. (2020) reported this species also on Quedius, which however is the host genus of Symplectromyces (see above).

Collections examined from Denmark

On Gabrius breviventer (Sperk, 1835) (Col. Staphylinidae Staphylininae)

DENMARK – Lolland, Falster, Møn (LFM) • Røgbølle Sø ved Sørup; 54°42.608′ N, 11°34.757′ E; PF66; 15 Oct. 2019; JP 1524; JP det.; ZMUC C-F-124279 • Vest for Bandholm; 54°50.303′ N, 11°28.050′ E; PF57; 3 Jan. 2019; JP 1336; JP det.; ZMUC C-F-123875 . – Sydsjaelland (SZ) • Holtug Kalkbrud; 55°20.470′ N, 12°26.678′ E; UB33; 21 Sep. 2013; JP 350; JP det.; ZMUC C-F-122832 .

Remarks

First record from Denmark. Distinguishing this species from T. actobii may be difficult depending on the collections, as was pointed out by Rossi et al. (2019a). Perhaps this is why De Kesel et al. (2020), according to their drawings, seemed to have confused the two species.