Simplicillium formicae

Simplicillium formicae D.P. Wei & K.D. Hyde, in Wei, Wanasinghe, Hyde, Mortimer, Xu, Xiao, Bhunjun & To-anun, MycoKeys 60: 78 (2019)

Index Fungorum number: IF556432, Facesoffungi number: FoF 05813

Parasitic on ant (Formicidae). Asexual morph: Hyphomycetous. Mycelium rarely septate, hyaline, smooth-walled, covering the whole body of the ant host. Synnemata 250–350 × 65–100 (x̄ = 300 × 86, n = 10) μm, forming at the head region of ant host in circular arrangement, flask-shaped, hyaline to yellowish, composed of dense hyphae, somehow curved. Phialides 25–100 × 0.5–1.5 (x̄ = 49 × 1.1, n = 20) μm, arising from procumbent hyphae or synnemata, blastic, enteroblastic, phialidic, monophialidic, discrete, terminal, unbranched, solitary, aseptate, hyaline, smooth-walled, slender, occasionally a swollen node present. Conidia 2–3.5 × 1.5–2.5 (x̄ = 2.6 × 2, n = 30) μm, globose to ellipsoidal, hyaline, one-celled, smooth-walled, round at both ends, adhering in slimy head on the tip of phialides. Sexual morph: Undetermined.

Culture characteristics: The colonies were rapid-growing on PDA medium, reaching a diameter of 2.5–3 (x̄ = 2.6, n = 9) cm, in 13 days at 22 °C, entire margin, circular, velvety and white from above, with radial crack and primrose-yellow on reverse. In vitro, Synnemata absent. Phialides 25–75 × 0.4–0.6 (x̄ = 50 × 0.55, n = 10) μm, arising from procumbent hyphae, blastic, enteroblastic, phialidic, discrete, terminal, unbranched, solitary, aseptate, hyaline, smooth-walled, relatively slender and long. Conidia 1.5–3 × 1.5–2.5 (x̄ = 2.3 × 1.7, n = 100) μm, hyaline, globose to ellipsoidal, aseptate, smooth-walled, slightly guttulate, adhering in slimy head on the tip of phialides.

Known hosts and distribution: on an adult ant (Thailand: Chiang Mai) (Wei et al. 2019)

Sequence data: MFLUCC 18–1379 (SSU = MK765046, LSU = MK766512, ITS = MK766511, TEF = MK926451, RPB1 = MK882623). Phylogenetic tree (see entry Simplicillium lanosoniveum)