Genus

Moesziomyces

Species

aphidis

Author

(Henninger & Windisch) Q.M. Wang, Begerow, F.Y. Bai & Boekhout, Studies in Mycology 81: 81 (2015)

Class

Ustilaginomycetes

Order

Ustilaginales

Family

Ustilaginaceae

Synonymy: ≡ Sterigmatomyces aphidis Henninger & Windisch, Archives of Microbiology 105: 50 (1975) ≡ Pseudozyma aphidis (Henninger & Windisch) Boekhout, Journal of General and Applied Microbiology Tokyo 41 (4): 364 (1995)

Description

Moesziomyces Vanky, Bot. Notiser 130: 133. 1977. emend. Q.M. Wang, Begerow, F.Y. Bai & Boekhout.

Type species:

Moesziomyces bullatus (J. Schröt.) Vanky Botaniska Notiser 130: 133 (1977)

Marine species:

Moesziomyces aphidis (Henninger & Windisch) Q.M. Wang, Begerow, F.Y. Bai & Boekhout, Studies in Mycology 81: 81 (2015)

≡ Sterigmatomyces aphidis Henninger & Windisch, Archives of Microbiology 105: 50 (1975)

≡ Pseudozyma aphidis (Henninger & Windisch) Boekhout, Journal of General and Applied Microbiology Tokyo 41 (4): 364 (1995)

Index Fungorum Number: 812715 Faceoffungi Number:N/A

The hyphae in the genus Moesziomyces occur usually with retraction septa, and the cytoplasm in the cells is separated by lysed cells. Fusiform blastoconidia occur on sterigma–like denticles and may form an aerial mycelium made up of branched, acropetal chains of conidia. Chlamydospores may be present, but ballistoconidia are absent. The colonies are whitish, pinkish, orange, or brownish–yellow, usually dimorphic with the central part yeast–like, and the margin fringed with hyphae. A thin aerial mycelium is usually present, which toward the margin may become zonate. The cells of M. aphidis, after undergoing growth on 5% malt extract agar for five days at 17° C, appear as fusiform, variable in size, and contain many oil droplets. Specimens of M. aphidis were collected from water samples and Rhizophora mangle leaves at different salinities along the Perequê River, located in a mangrove swamp area at Parque Estadual da Ilha do Cardoso, Cananéia municipality, São Paulo State, Brazil.

Key references:

Boekhout T (1995). Pseudozyma Bandoni emend. Boekhout, a genus for yeast–like anamorphs of Ustilaginales. Journal of General and Applied Microbiology Tokyo. 41(4):359–366.

Henninger W, Windisch S (1975). A new yeast of Sterigmatomyces, S. aphidis sp. n. Archives of Microbiology. 105:49–50.

Wang M, Begerow D, Groenewald M, Liu XZ, Theelen B, Bai FY, Boekhout. (2015). Multigene phylogeny and taxonomic revision of yeasts and related fungi in the Ustilaginomycotina. Studies in Mycology. 81:55–83.

Type & Location:

Other Specimens:

Substratum:

Saprobic, isolated from seawater, reported from the Florida Everglades USA, in the mangrove zones, mangroves in Brazil and world wise in distribution.

Habitat:

Distribution:

Brazil, Florida, USA also worldwide in distribution.

Pertinent Literature:

Comments:

NOTES: This fungus was initially described as Sterigmatomyces aphidis (Henninger & Windisch 1975) but later transferred to the genus Pseudozyma (Boekhout 1995). In a major revision of the Ustilaginomycetes (Wang et al. 2015) it was referred to the genus Moesziomyces. This genus was originally proposed for a teleomorphic smut fungus occurring on Poaceae as defined by Vanky (2002, 2012) but Wang et al. (2015) emended it to include free–living yeast species with unknown sexual states based on molecular phylogenetic analysis. Ten Moesziomyces species are listed in Myco Bank, but only Moesziomyces aphidis has been reported from marine habitats.

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