A new species of Amoeboaphelidium was isolated from the green alga, Scenedesmus dimorphus, which was being grown for biofuel production in New Mexico. Scientists at The University of Alabama worked with scientists at Sapphire Energy, Inc. to characterize and describe this new species as Amoeboaphelidium occidentale in Mycologia 107(3): 522-531 (2015). Morphology Suggests Additional Genera in the Cryptomycota Rozella was once classified in the Olpidiaceae among the Chytridiomycota before molecular phylogenetics placed it as a sister group (Cryptomycota) of traditional fungi. Research highlights that additional genera currently classified in the Olpidiaceae may also belong to the Cryptomycota within the Opistosporidia (as shown in molecular phylogenetics for Nucleophaga). An evaluation of the literature for Plasmophagus and Dictyomorpha suggest that these genera need to be searched for and evaluated molecularly and ultrastructurally to determine if they also are Opistosporidia rather than true fungi. To read more go to Phytologia 98(2): 128 (2016) and 99(1): 75 (2017). A new species of Rozella.01/9/2017 A new species of the endoparasite, Rozella, was recently discovered and described infecting the chytrid Rhizoclosmatium globosum. Interestingly, infected sporangia of the host were about twice the size of non-infected sporangia and released parasite zoospores about 1/3rd the size of host zoospores. This is the first new species of Rozella described in the past 30 years. Rozella rhizoclosmatii is described in Fungal Biology 121(1): 1-10 (2017). A new species of Rozella on Pythium. A new species of Rozella was found parasitizing hyphae of the oomycete Pythium in a pond on the campus of the University of Maine. The parasite induces host hypertrophy with its terminal and intercalary sporangial initials. The new species is distinctive from other species on Pythium because sporangia are polymorphic and produce 1-3 long discharge tubes with a bulb at their ends. Rozella multimorpha is described in the Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology doi:10.1111/jeu.12452 (2017) Evidence of Rozella allomycis' Phagocytosis of Host Cytoplasm Serial section analysis of Rozella allomycis revealed that the parasite's unwalled plasmodium engulfs host cytoplasm, with the parasite's plasma membrane and the two membranes of the host cisterna (which surrounds the plasmodium) resulting in a three-layered phagocytic vacuolar membrane. Because host mitochondria coat the outer surface of the parasite's plasmodium, host mitochondria were also found lining the three-layered phagocytic vacuolar membrane. Contents of the phagocytic vacuole break down, including host mitochondria and two-layered cisterna, leaving a single phagocytic vacuolar membrane, which would have originated from the parasite's plasma membrane. Thus the parasite’s sporangial plasmodium totally consumes host cellar contents and host plasma membranes as the unwalled sporangial plasmodium totally fills the host walled compartment. These results are important because they show that Rozella's nutrition can be phagotrophic, in contrast to Fungi with osmotrophic nutrition. To read more go to Fungal Biology 121(6-7): 561-572 (2017). New Species of Aphelidium Discovered A new species of Apheldium has been discovered infecting microalgae grown in open outdoor ponds for biofuel production in New Mexico. Appearing in the Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology 64: 655-667 (2017), this article describes Apheldium desmodesmi and characterizes its ultrastructure and molecular phylogenetic placement. This is an important discovery because parasites of algae are problematic in obtaining high yields of plant material for biofuel production.
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