Phialophora

<i>Phialophora</i>

Phialophora

Genus of fungi

Not to be confused with Phialiphora, a plant genus.

Phialophora is a form genus of fungus with short conidiophores, sometimes reduced to phialides; their conidia are unicellular. They may be parasites (including on humans), or saprophytic (including on apples).[3][4]

Quick Facts Phialophora, Scientific classification ...

Genetic analysis of Phialophora shows that it is a paraphyletic grouping.[5]

The conidia are produced from a flask shaped phialide. Mature, spherical, to oval conidia are extruded from phialides and usually accumulate around it.

Some members of Phialophora are involved in symbiotic relationships with leafcutter ants where they grow on the cuticle of the ants and fulfill a saprophytic role that aids in the fungal gardening on which the ants rely.[6][7]

References

  1. [1]
    Medlar, E.M. (1915). "A New Fungus, Phialophora verrucosa, Pathogenic for Man". Mycologia. 7 (4): 200–203. doi:10.2307/3753363. JSTOR 3753363.
  2. [2]
    Liu YL, Xi PG, He XL, Jiang ZD (2013). "Phialophora avicenniae sp. nov., a new endophytic fungus in Avicennia marina in China". Mycotaxon. 124: 31–7. doi:10.5248/124.31.
  3. [3]
    McColloch, L.P. (1944). "A Study of the Apple Rot Fungus Phialophora malorum". Mycologia. 36 (6): 576–590. doi:10.2307/3754837. JSTOR 3754837.
  4. [4]
    Barnett, H.L.; Hunter, B.B. (1972). Illustrated Genera of Imperfect Fungi. Burgess Publishing company, Minneapolis MN. ISBN 978-0-8087-0266-5.
  5. [5]
    Abliz, P.; Fukushima, K.; Takizawa, K.; Nishimura, K. (2004). "Identification of pathogenic dematiaceous fungi and related taxa based on large subunit ribosomal DNA D1/D2 domain sequence analysis". FEMS Immunology and Medical Microbiology. 40 (1): 41–49. doi:10.1016/S0928-8244(03)00275-X. PMID 14734185.
  6. [6]
    "Fungal Farming in Leafcutter Ants". www.reed.edu. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
  7. [7]
    Little, Ainslie E.F; Currie, Cameron R (2007-10-22). "Symbiotic complexity: discovery of a fifth symbiont in the attine ant–microbe symbiosis". Biology Letters. 3 (5): 501–504. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2007.0253. ISSN 1744-9561. PMC 2396185. PMID 17686758.


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