@article{d91e7454599541ddb2725075162c25db,
title = "Description of a novel termite ectoparasite, Termitaria hexasporodochia sp. nov. (Kathistaceae), presenting an unusual six-sectioned infestation, and a key to the fungal family Kathistaceae",
abstract = "Termites, an economically significant group of eusocial cockroaches, are host to a variety of ectoparasitic fungi. Here, we provide up-to-date morphological and geographic data for fungal ectoparasites described belonging to the family Kathistaceae and describe Termitaria hexasporodochia sp. nov., a species observed to form lesions on its host in an unusual hexad arrangement. To date, the family Kathistaceae comprises 4 genera (Kathistes, Mattirolella, Termitaria, and Termitariopsis) and 11 valid species. Two genera we focus on in this paper, Termitaria and Mattirolella, are asexual ectoparasitic fungi that form sporodochia on the eusocial insects, termites. Morphological data collected via Micro-CT, SEM, and confocal microscopy confirms that this is a new fungal species belonging to the genus Termitaria. A comparison chart and dichotomous key are provided to distinguish all members of the family, Kathistaceae, to which the new species belongs.",
keywords = "Ascomycote, asexual, ectoparasite, fungi, social insects, termites",
author = "Wilson, {Megan M.} and Amany Emam and Davis, {Steven R.} and Gene Hall and Phillip Barden and Ware, {Jessica L.}",
note = "Funding Information: We would like to sincerely thank our hosts at Karanambu Lodge, Andrea and Salvador de Caires for their friendship, collegiality, and thoughtful discussions while in the field. We thank the reviewers for strengthening this manuscript. We would like to thank Joyce Wade for her tireless enthusiasm for biology and fieldwork, which kept us inspired in the field. Thank you to Drs. Godfrey Bourne and Carol Bourne for their assistance with the Termite Team. We would like to thank the termite team: Susan George, Sherri George, Luke Johnson and Sallqa-Tuwa Mafla-Mills. Additionally, we thank Oswin Ambrose and Kenneth Butler for assistance while in the field and Laura Gonzalez for her assistance with imaging at Rutgers University. We would like to thank Vivienne Uys for her stimulating discussions on termites from flooded regions, Justin Bernstein, and Nene Ugbah for thoughtful edits to the manuscript as well as Konstanze Bensch (Mycobank) for nomenclatural advice. Thank you to Michael Engel and David Grimaldi for thoughtful discussions on the nature of this strange growth. The authors would also like to thank the Environmental Protection Agency in Guyana for collection permits (reference # 123115), in conjunction with the University of Georgetown for export permits (reference #123015) and the National Science Foundation for funds toward this project (NSF #1453157). We thank Jans Sobatnik for invaluable direction in this work. Our reviewers are greatly appreciated for their critical evaluation of this manuscript. Lastly, we would like to honor the late Diane Mcturk, manager of Karanambu Ranch, for her lifelong dedication to the people and the wildlife of the Rupununi River Region of Guyana. All termite related field and lab work was funded by Ware{\textquoteright}s U.S. National Science Foundation Career Grant (1453157). Publisher Copyright: Copyright {\textcopyright} 2023 Magnolia Press.",
year = "2023",
doi = "10.11646/phytotaxa.591.2.3",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "591",
pages = "106--124",
journal = "Phytotaxa",
issn = "1179-3155",
publisher = "Magnolia Press",
number = "2",
}