''Raffaelea'' 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 ...

ambrosia fungi Ambrosia fungi are fungal symbionts of ambrosia beetles including the polyphagous and Kuroshio shot hole borers. There are a few dozen species described ambrosia fungi, currently placed in polyphyletic genera '' Ambrosiella'', '' Rafaellea'' an ...

in the family

Ophiostomataceae The Ophiostomataceae are a family of fungi in the Ascomycota, class Sordariomycetes. The family was circumscribed by J.A. Nannfeldt in 1932. Species in the family have a widespread distribution, and are typically found in temperate regions, ...

. It was

circumscribed In geometry, the circumscribed circle or circumcircle of a polygon is a circle that passes through all the vertices of the polygon. The center of this circle is called the circumcenter and its radius is called the circumradius. Not every po ...

by mycologists

Josef Adolph von Arx Josef may refer to *Josef (given name) *Josef (surname) * ''Josef'' (film), a 2011 Croatian war film *Musik Josef Musik Josef is a Japanese manufacturer of musical instruments. It was founded by Yukio Nakamura, and is the only company in Japan spe ...

and Grégoire L. Hennebert in 1965 with '' Raffaelea ambrosiae'' as 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( ...

. The genus is named in honor of Italian botanist

Raffaele Ciferri Raffaele Ciferri (30 May 1897, Fermo – 12 February 1964, Pavia) was an Italian botanist, agriculturalist and mycologist. He studied agricultural sciences at the University of Bologna. From 1925 to 1932, he was based in the Dominican Republ ...

Laurel wilt Laurel wilt, also called laurel wilt disease, is a vascular disease that is caused by the fungus ''Raffaelea lauricola'', which is transmitted by the invasive redbay ambrosia beetle, ''Xyleborus glabratus''. The disease affects and kills member ...

is a disease of redbay (''

Persea borbonia ''Persea borbonia'' or redbay is a small, evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae), native to the southeastern United States. It belongs to the genus '' Persea'', a group of evergreen trees including bays and the avocado. ''Persea borbonia ...

'') caused by ''

Raffaelea lauricola Laurel wilt, also called laurel wilt disease, is a vascular disease that is caused by the fungus ''Raffaelea lauricola'', which is transmitted by the invasive redbay ambrosia beetle, ''Xyleborus glabratus''. The disease affects and kills member ...

''. This fungus, harbored in the

mycangium The term mycangium (pl., mycangia) is used in biology for special structures on the body of an animal that are adapted for the transport of symbiotic fungi (usually in spore form). This is seen in many xylophagous insects (e.g. horntails and bark ...

of the redbay ambrosia beetle ''

Xyleborus glabratus ''Xyleborus glabratus'', the redbay ambrosia beetle, is a type of ambrosia beetle invasive in the United States. It has been documented as the primary vector of ''Raffaelea lauricola'', the fungus that causes laurel wilt, a disease that can ki ...

'', is in the form of a

budding yeast ''Saccharomyces cerevisiae'' () (brewer's yeast or baker's yeast) is a species of yeast (single-celled fungus microorganisms). The species has been instrumental in winemaking, baking, and brewing since ancient times. It is believed to have been o ...

in the mycangium and a filamentous fungus in galleries of the beetle. Several species also resident in the beetle were described as new to science in 2010: '' R. ellipticospora'', '' R. fusca'', '' R. subalba'', and '' R. subfusca''.

Species

*'' Raffaelea albimanens'' *'' Raffaelea ambrosiae'' *'' Raffaelea arxii'' *'' Raffaelea barbata'' *'' Raffaelea canadensis'' *'' Raffaelea ellipticospora'' *''

Raffaelea fusca ''Raffaelea fusca'' is a mycangial fungus, first isolated from female adults of the redbay ambrosia beetle, '' Xyleborus glabratus''. References Further reading *Dreaden, Tyler J., et al. "Phylogeny of ambrosia beetle symbionts in the genus ' ...

'' *'' Raffaelea hennebertii'' *''

'' *'' Raffaelea montetyi'' *''

Raffaelea quercivora ''Raffaelea quercivora'' is a species of fungus in the family Ophiostomataceae. It causes Japanese oak wilt disease, and is spread by the ambrosia beetle (''Platypus quercivorus''). It has small obovoid to pyriform sympodioconidia and slender, l ...

'' *'' Raffaelea quercus-mongolicae'' *'' Raffaelea santoroi'' *'' Raffaelea scolytodis'' *''

Raffaelea subalba ''Raffaelea subalba'' is a mycangial fungus, first isolated from female adults of the redbay ambrosia beetle, ''Xyleborus glabratus ''Xyleborus glabratus'', the redbay ambrosia beetle, is a type of ambrosia beetle invasive in the United Sta ...

'' *'' Raffaelea subfusca'' *'' Raffaelea sulcati'' *'' Raffaelea tritirachium'' *'' Raffaelea variabilis''

References

External links

* Sordariomycetes genera Ophiostomatales {{Sordariomycetes-stub