''Massospora'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

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 ...

in the

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 ...

family, within the 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). It includes more than a dozen obligate, sexually transmissible

pathogen In biology, a pathogen (, "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 Germ theory of d ...

ic species that infect (and kill) adult gregarious

cicada The cicadas () are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. The superfamily is divided into two ...

s (

Hemiptera 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 ...

) worldwide. At least two species are known to produce

psychoactive A psychoactive drug, psychopharmaceutical, mind-altering drug, consciousness-altering drug, psychoactive substance, or psychotropic substance is a chemical substance that alters psychological functioning by modulating central nervous system acti ...

compounds during infection: ''M. cicadina'' is known to produce

cathinone Cathinone (; also known as β-ketoamphetamine) is a monoamine alkaloid found in the shrub ''Catha edulis'' (khat) and is chemically similar to ephedrine, cathine, methcathinone and other amphetamines. It is probably the main contributor to t ...

; ''M. platypediae'' or ''M. levispora'' produces

psilocybin Psilocybin, also known as 4-phosphoryloxy-''N'',''N''-dimethyltryptamine (4-PO-DMT), is a natural product, naturally occurring tryptamine alkaloid and Investigational New Drug, investigational drug found in more than List of psilocybin mushroom ...

. Named in 1879 by the American botanist

Charles Horton Peck Charles Horton Peck (March 30, 1833 – July 11, 1917) was an American mycologist of the 19th and early 20th centuries. He was the New York State Botanist from 1867 to 1915, a period in which he described over 2,700 species of North American fu ...

(1833–1917). The genus name of ''Massospora'' was derived from two words in the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

, ''masso'' which means 'to grind' and ''spora'' for 'spore'. This then describes the complete disintegration of the host-insect's internal tissues eventually leading to a (described by the author as), "pulverulent mass of spores within" that can be seen after the terminal parts of the abdomen fall off.

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 ...

: * '' Massospora carinetae'' * '' Massospora cicadettae'' * ''

Massospora cicadina ''Massospora cicadina'' is a fungal pathogen that infects only 13 and 17 year periodical cicadas. Infection results in a "plug" of spores that replaces the end of the cicada's Abdomen#Other animals, abdomen while it is still alive, leading to i ...

'' * '' Massospora diceroproctae'' * '' Massospora diminuta'' * '' Massospora dorisianae'' * '' Massospora fidicinae'' * '' Massospora levispora'' * '' Massospora ocypetes'' * '' Massospora pahariae'' * '' Massospora platypediae'' * '' Massospora spinosa'' * '' Massospora tettigatis'' Former species: * ''M. agrotidis'' = '' Sorosporella agrotidis'',

Hypocreales The Hypocreales are an order of fungi within the class Sordariomycetes. In 2008, it was estimated that it contained some 237 genera, and 2647 species in seven families. Since then, a considerable number of further taxa have been identified, in ...

family * ''M. cleoni'' = '' Entomophthora cleoni'',

* ''M. richteri'' = '' Entomophthora richteri'', Entomophthoraceae * ''M. staritzii'' = '' Entomophthora staritzii'', Entomophthoraceae * ''M. tipulae'' = '' Zoophthora porteri'', Entomophthoraceae * ''M. uvella'' = '' Sorosporella uvella'', Hypocreales

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10578105 Animal fungal diseases Insect diseases Entomophthorales