''Neozygites'' 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 ...

in the family Neozygitaceae, which is in 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 ...

. Commonly used as a pest controller for mites, aphids, and thrips, the genus was described in 1885 by E. Witlaczil.

Description

Distribution and habitat

'' Neozygites fresenii'' has been found in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

the Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.'' Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sin ...

, and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

Ecology

The main hosts of ''Neozygites'' species are

mite Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods) of two large orders, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari. However, most recent genetic analyses do not recover the two as eac ...

s and

aphid Aphids are small sap-sucking insects in the Taxonomic rank, family Aphididae. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white Eriosomatinae, woolly ...

s; ''Neozygites fresenii'' epizootics have been found in colonies of ''

Aphis gossypii ''Aphis gossypii'' is a tiny insect, an aphid Aphids are small sap-sucking insects in the Taxonomic rank, family Aphididae. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The grou ...

'' in

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

, causing a notable reduction in populations of them. Several species of the genus were first described on spider mites, namely ''N. adjarica'', ''N. floridana'', ''N. tetranychi'', and ''N. tanajoae''; ''Neozygites tanajoae'' is known to exclusively affect spider mites on

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

n and

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

manioc ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...

. Its pest-controlling properties have seen ''N. tanajoae'' used in

Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...

to dissipate Mononychellus tanajoa populations. The red spider mite is a known host of the epizootics of ''N. floridana'', being affected by the fungus on tomatoes in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. ''N. floridana'' is known to have the ability to significantly lessen the populations of red spider mites, but gratuitous fungicide use can negatively impact the fungus. The genus is also known to affect

thrips Thrips (Order (biology) , order Thysanoptera) are minute (mostly long or less), slender insects with fringed wings and unique asymmetrical mouthparts. Entomologists have species description , described approximately 7,700 species. They fly on ...

Taxonomy

In 1987, a new genus ''Thaxterosporium'' was proposed, consisting only of ''N. turbinatus''. In 1991, the genus was synonymized with ''Neozygites''. The genus ''Neozygites'' consists of the following 20 species: * ''Neozygites abacaridis'' Miętk. & Bałazy * ''Neozygites acaridis'' (Petch) Milner * ''Neozygites adjaricus'' (Tsints. & Vartap.) Remaud. & S.Keller * ''Neozygites cinarae'' S.Keller * ''Neozygites cucumeriformis'' Miętk. & Bałazy * ''Neozygites floridanus'' (J.Weiser & Muma) Remaud. & S.Keller * ''Neozygites fresenii'' (Nowak.) Remaud. & S.Keller * ''Neozygites fumosa'' (Speare) Remaud. & S.Keller * ''Neozygites heteropsyllae'' Villac. & Wilding * ''Neozygites lageniformis'' (Thaxt.) Remaud. & S.Keller * ''Neozygites lecanii'' (Zimm.) Ben Ze'ev & R.G.Kenneth * ''Neozygites linanensis'' Xiang Zhou & C.Montalva * ''Neozygites microlophii'' S.Keller * ''Neozygites osornensis'' C.Montalva & Barta * ''Neozygites parvisporus'' (D.M.MacLeod & K.P.Carl) Remaud. & S.Keller * ''Neozygites remaudierei'' S.Keller * ''Neozygites slavi'' S.Keller * ''Neozygites tanajoae'' Delal., Humber & A.E.Hajek * ''Neozygites tetranychi'' (J.Weiser) Remaud. & S.Keller * ''Neozygites turbinatus'' (R.G.Kenneth) Remaud. & S.Keller In addition to these species, two are yet to be classified: * ''Neozygites sp. N51'' * ''Neozygites sp. XZ-2015''

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q10599099, from2=Q10599097 Fungus genera Taxa described in 1885 Entomophthorales