''Curvularia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

of hyphomycete (

mold A mold () or mould () is one of the structures certain fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of spores containing fungal secondary metabolites. The spores are the dispersal units of the fungi. Not ...

)

fungi A fungus (plural, : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of Eukaryote, eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and Mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified ...

which can be

pathogen In biology, a pathogen ( el, πάθος, "suffering", "passion" and , "producer of") in the oldest and broadest sense, is any organism or agent that can produce disease. A pathogen may also be referred to as an infectious agent, or simply a ger ...

s but also act as beneficial partners of many plant species. They are common in soil. Most ''Curvularia'' species are found in

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

regions, though a few are found in

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

zones. ''Curvularia'' is defined by the

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen( ...

''C. lunata'' (Wakker) Boedijn. ''Curvularia lunata'' appears as shiny velvety-black, fluffy growth (on the fungus colony surface). These fluffy 'hairs', which really are branching, fine filamentous structures called

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 or ...

, are divided inside by cell walls named

septae In biology, a septum (Latin for ''something that encloses''; plural septa) is a wall, dividing a cavity or structure into smaller ones. A cavity or structure divided in this way may be referred to as septate. Examples Human anatomy * Interatri ...

(-> the hyphae are 'septate'). The walls of these hyphae contain dark pigments, which makes for their black appearance and which is called 'dematiaceous'. The hyphae produce brown spore bearing organs, 'conidiophores', which are distinguished by their 'geniculate'

shape, meaning they have bends of abrupt kneelike angles. The immobile, asexual fungal spores born on those conidiophores, the conidia, poroconidia, have a slightly to distinctly curved shape; they are divided inside by horizontally spreading cell walls (= are 'transverse

septate'), and have one expanded cell (the third larification neededcell) at one end (the pore larification neededend of the

conidium A conidium ( ; ), sometimes termed an asexual chlamydospore or chlamydoconidium (), is an asexual, non- motile spore of a fungus. The word ''conidium'' comes from the Ancient Greek word for dust, ('). They are also called mitospores due t ...

). ''Curvularia'' can be distinguished from the species '' Bipolaris'' and ''

Drechslera ''Drechslera'' is a genus of fungi. Many of the species in this genus are plant pathogens. Species The following species are accepted within ''Drechslera'':Drechslera S.Ito in GBIF Secretariat (2017). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset ...

'' by the way (angle) walls (septae) divide the inner structure of their spores. The name of the

teleomorphic In mycology, the terms teleomorph, anamorph, and holomorph apply to portions of the life cycles of fungi in the phyla Ascomycota and Basidiomycota: *Teleomorph: the sexual reproductive stage (morph), typically a fruiting body. *Anamorph: an ase ...

state of the type species ''Curvularia lunata'' is ''Cochliobolus lunatus'' (Fam. Pleosporaceae, Ord. Pleosporales, Cla. Loculoascomycetes, Phy.

Ascomycota Ascomycota is a phylum of the kingdom Fungi that, together with the Basidiomycota, forms the subkingdom Dikarya. Its members are commonly known as the sac fungi or ascomycetes. It is the largest phylum of Fungi, with over 64,000 species. The de ...

Heat-tolerance symbiote

One species of Curvularia, ''Curvularia protuberata'', is an endosymbiote of the panic grass '' Dichanthelium lanuginosum'' that can enable the grass to thrive near

hot spring A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow bodies of magma (molten rock) or by c ...

s in soil temperatures of up to 104 °F (40 °C). The fungus confers this protective effect only when itself infected by the ''Curvularia'' thermal tolerance virus (CThTV). Plants unrelated to panic grass also experience this protective effect when inoculated with the virus-infected fungus.reference to Redman, Rodriguez, and Henson experiment
/ref>

Species

Primary

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

of ''Curvularia'' commonly found in soils and on plant tissues (including seeds): * '' Curvularia affinis'' * '' Curvularia brachyspora'' * '' Curvularia caricae-papayae'' * ''

Curvularia clavata ''Curvularia'' is a genus of hyphomycete ( mold) fungi which can be pathogens but also act as beneficial partners of many plant species. They are common in soil. Most ''Curvularia'' species are found in tropical regions, though a few are foun ...

'' * '' Curvularia eragrostidis'' (''Cochliobolus eragrostidis'' (Teleomorph)) * '' Curvularia fallax'' * '' Curvularia geniculata'' (''Cochliobolus geniculatus'' (Teleomorph)) * '' Curvularia harveyi'' * ''

Curvularia inaequalis ''Curvularia inaequalis'' is a plant saprobe that resides in temperate and subtropical environments. It is commonly found in the soils of forage grasses and grains. The species has been observed in a broad distribution of countries including Tu ...

'' * '' Curvularia lunata'' ('' Cochliobolus lunatus'' (Teleomorph)) * ''

Curvularia ovoidea ''Curvularia'' is a genus of hyphomycete (mold) fungi which can be pathogens but also act as beneficial partners of many plant species. They are common in soil. Most ''Curvularia'' species are found in tropical regions, though a few are found in ...

'' * ''

Curvularia pallescens ''Curvularia pallescens'' is a soil fungus, that commonly grows on crops found in tropical regions. The conidia of the fungus are distinguishable from those of related species due to their lack of curvature. ''C. pallescens'' has been reported to ...

'' * ''

Curvularia penniseti ''Curvularia penniseti'' is a fungal plant pathogen. References External links Index FungorumUSDA ARS Fungal Database Pleosporaceae Fungal plant pathogens and diseases Fungi described in 1921 Fungus species {{fungus-plant-disea ...

'' * ''

Curvularia prasadii ''Curvularia'' is a genus of hyphomycete (mold) fungi which can be pathogens but also act as beneficial partners of many plant species. They are common in soil. Most ''Curvularia'' species are found in tropical regions, though a few are found in ...

'' * '' Curvularia protuberata'' * ''

Curvularia senegalensis ''Curvularia senegalensis'' is a fungal plant pathogen. ''Cu. senegalensis'' is a pathogenic fungus. It is closely related to '' Cu. asianensis'', '' Cu. geniculata'', and '' Cu. soli''. This group is distinguished by conidia which are mostly 4 ...

'' * '' Curvularia trifolii'' * ''

Cochliobolus tuberculatus ''Cochliobolus tuberculatus'' is a plant pathogen. References External links Index FungorumUSDA ARS Fungal Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Cochliobolus Tuberculatus Fungal plant pathogens and diseases tuberculatus Fungi described in 1962 ...

'' (''Cochliobolus tuberculatus'' (Teleomorph))

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q5196111 Pleosporaceae Taxa named by Karel Bernard Boedijn Taxa described in 1933 Dothideomycetes genera