Batkoa Hydrophila
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''Batkoa'' is a genus of
fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...
within the family of
Entomophthoraceae Entomophthoraceae is a family of fungi in the order Entomophthorales. This has been supported by molecular phylogenetic analysis (Gryganskyi et al. 2012).Gryganskyi AP, Humber RA, Smith ME et al (2012) Molecular phylogeny of the Entomophthoromyco ...
and order
Entomophthorales The Entomophthorales are an order of fungi that were previously classified in the class Zygomycetes. A new subdivision, Entomophthoromycotina, in 2007, was circumscribed for them. Most species of the entomophthorales are pathogens of insects ...
of the
Zygomycota Zygomycota, or zygote fungi, is a former phylum, division or phylum of the kingdom Fungi. The members are now part of two Phylum, phyla: the Mucoromycota and Zoopagomycotina, Zoopagomycota. Approximately 1060 species are known. They are mostly t ...
. This has been supported by molecular phylogenetic analysis (Gryganskyi et al. 2012). The genus name of ''Batkoa'' is named by the American mycologist Richard A. Humber in 1989 to honor the Polish mycologist Andrzej Batko (1933–1997). The presence of
rhizoids Rhizoids are protuberances that extend from the lower epidermal cells of bryophytes and algae. They are similar in structure and function to the root hairs of vascular land plants. Similar structures are formed by some fungi. Rhizoids may be uni ...
and having globose (rounded) rather than pear-shaped
conidia A conidium ( ; : conidia), sometimes termed an asexual chlamydospore or chlamydoconidium (: chlamydoconidia), is an asexual, non- motile spore of a fungus. The word ''conidium'' comes from the Ancient Greek word for dust, ('). They are also ...
helps identify ''Batkoa'' species from '' Entomophaga'' species.N. Amaresan, M. Senthil Kumar, K. Annapurna, Krishna Kumar and N. Sankaranaryanan (Editors)


Description

The
Hyphal A hypha (; ) is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium. Structure A hypha consists of one or ...
bodies are elongated and walled (but not proto-plastic). The condiphores are simple with narrow 'neck' between the condium and condiogenous cell. The primary condia are globose and round, multi-nucleate, discharged by papillar eversion. The rhizoids (if present) are thicker than the vegetative hypae, with terminal discoid holdfast. The resting spores bud laterally from the parental cell. Unfixed nuclei have granular contents stained by aceto-orcein.


Infection

Generally, when an insect (or host) comes in contact with ''Batkoa'' spores, they enter its body through leg joints or other chinks in its armor or through gaps in the 'skin'. The spores then start to multiply. As the fungi begin to overwhelm the insect, it stops eating, mating and crawls (or flies short distances) to a high, exposed place like on the side of a tree trunk or at the tip of a tall grass blade. There the fungus sends out threadlike
hyphae A hypha (; ) is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium. Structure A hypha consists of one o ...
from within the bug and attaching the insect to its perch, securely. The ''Batkoa'' fungus somehow triggers the host insect to open its wings fully, exposing its soft abdomen completely. That is the last time the host moves. Finally, the very small spores are expelled out from the insect's belly, showering everything below with spores and potentially, 'powdered death'.


Hosts

''Batkoa major'' is known to infect the invasive
spotted lanternfly The spotted lanternfly (''Lycorma delicatula'') is a planthopper indigenous (ecology), indigenous to parts of China and Vietnam. It has spread Invasive species, invasively to Japan, South Korea, and the United States, where it is often referred ...
(''Lycorma delicatula'') in north-eastern North America, including
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
. No other recorded insects have been killed by ''Batkoa major'' in the Pennsylvania area. ''Batkoa major'' is also a host on the ptilodactylid beetle ('' Ptilodactyla serricollis'' in
Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
and
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
. The pine beauty moth (''Panolis flammea'') in Scotland. It was also found on aphid, '' Myzodium modestrum'' in Sweden (Gustafsson, 1965). In June 2007, an
epizootic In epizoology, an epizootic (or epizoötic, from Greek: ''epi-'' "upon" + ''zoon'' "animal") is a disease event in a nonhuman animal population analogous to an epidemic in humans. An epizootic disease (or ) may occur in a specific locale (an ...
was observed in a crane fly (''
Tipula ''Tipula'' is a very large insect genus in the fly family Tipulidae (crane flies). The members of this genus are sometimes collectively called common crane flies. ''Tipula'' contains over 2,000 species located throughout the world. Like all cr ...
'' sp.) population in an area between Galugah to Bishehband in
Mazandaran province Mazandaran Province (; ) is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Sari. Located along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea and in the adjacent Central Alborz mountain range and Hyrcanian forests, it is bordered clockw ...
of Iran. The fungus was identified as ''Batkoa apiculata'' . ''Batkoa apiculata'' has also been reported discovered on 3 species of aphid in France (Thoizon, 1970) and while in Poland, it was found on a wide range of insects (Balazy, 1993). ''Baktoa apiculata'' has also been found on moth, '' Mentaxya muscosa'' (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) in Africa. Various ''Batkoa'' species and also '' Furia'' species are being studied for the control of the (spittlebugs) cercopids '' Mahanarva fimbriolata'' and '' Deois schach'' which are known pests of
sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fib ...
and pastures in Brazil. ''Batkoa amrascae'' infects the cotton leafhopper, ''
Amrasca biguttula ''Amrasca biguttula'', commonly known as the cotton jassid, is a subspecies of leafhopper belonging to the subfamily Typhlocybinae of family Cicadellidae. It is a pest of cotton, okra, and other crops in southern Asia and West Africa. Descript ...
'' (
Homoptera Hemiptera (; ) is an order of insects, commonly called true bugs, comprising more than 80,000 species within groups such as the cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, assassin bugs, bed bugs, and shield bugs. They range in size from to ...
: Cicadellidae) in the Philippines.Philippine Association of Entomologists In Spain, ''Batkoa apiculata'' was found on ''Diptera''
Nematocera The Nematocera (the name meaning "thread-horns") are a suborder of elongated fly, flies with thin, segmented antenna (biology), antennae and mostly aquatic larvae. This group is paraphyletic and contains all flies except for species from suborder ...
and ''Batkoa limoniae'' was found on Diptera
Limoniidae Limoniidae is the largest of four crane fly families, with more than 10,700 species in more than 150 genera. Some studies have suggested it to be a paraphyletic group, with some limoniids being more closely related to Tipulidae and Cylindrotomida ...
.H.R. Engelmann (J. Cramer, Editor)


Distribution

It has been recorded being found mainly in North America and Great Britain, with a few other recordings elsewhere. Such as parts of Europe; France, Poland,
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
,
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
,
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
, the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
, and Brazil. ''Batkoa hydrophila'', and ''Batkoa gigantea'' has been recorded found in
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
.Kirk PM (2019). Zygomycetes (version Oct 2017). In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalog of Life, 2019 Annual Checklist (Roskov Y., Ower G., Orrell T., Nicolson D., Bailly N., Kirk PM, Bourgoin T., DeWalt RE, Decock W., Nieukerken E van, Zarucchi J., Penev L., eds.). Digital resource at www.catalogueoflife.org/annual-checklist/2019. Species 2000: Naturalis, Leiden, the Netherlands. ISSN 2405-884X.


Species

As accepted by
Species Fungorum ''Index Fungorum'' is an international project to index all formal names (Binomial nomenclature, scientific names) in the fungus Kingdom (biology), kingdom. As of 2015, the project is based at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, one of three partn ...
; *'' Batkoa amrascae'' *'' Batkoa apiculata'' *'' Batkoa cercopidis'' *'' Batkoa dysderci'' *'' Batkoa gigantea'' *'' Batkoa hydrophila'' *'' Batkoa limoniae'' *'' Batkoa major'' *'' Batkoa papillata'' *'' Batkoa pseudapiculata''


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10426986 Entomophthorales Fungus genera