In: Sydowia 75, (2022): 037-045; ISSN 0082-0598, DOI 10.12905/0380.sydowia75-2022-037, Published online on October 5, 2022

Fungi attacking springtails (Sminthuridae, Collembola)
with a description of Pandora batallata, sp. nov.
(Entomophthoraceae)

Siegfried Keller1, Thorben Hülsewig & Annette Bruun Jensen


Rheinweg 14, CH-8264 Eschenz, Switzerland
Brink 9, D-58452 Witten, Germany
Dept. Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Thorvaldsensvej 40, 1871 Frederiksberg C, Denmark

E-mail: siegfried.keller@bluewin.ch

Keller S., Hülsewig T. & Jensen A.B. (2022): Fungi attacking springtails (Sminthuridae, Collembola) with description of Pandora
batallata, sp. nov. (Entomophthoraceae). – Sydowia 75: 37–45.

Fungi attacking springtails, probably Dicyrtomina sp. (Collembola, Sminthuridae), were collected in north-western Germany.
Cadavers were fixed with rhizoids onto moist pieces of dead wood lying on the soil. Fifteen specimens were carefully dissected
and microscopically and genetically examined. The core data of Pandora batallata are as follows: The hyphal bodies measured
61.7–65.0 × 18.5 µm and contained on average 10-11 nuclei. The branched conidiophores produced mononucleate primary conidia
with an average size of 20.8–21.7 × 8.9–9.6 µm. The spiny brown, usually spherical zygospores measured on average 39.6 µm
excluding the spines. The long and strong cystidia had an enlarged rounded ending, which is represented by the epithet. Pandora
batallata sp. nov. differs from related species by host, morphology (long cystidia with the spoon-like ending) and sequence differences
in the LSU rDNA. Two other fungi were also found. A single dead springtail was completely filled with spherical fungal
structures (diameter 9–11 µm) and a single adhering hypha. Two other dead springtails were filled with spherical structures resembling
entomophthoralean resting spores, although their diameter was only 10–12 µm. Both of these fungi were not further
examined but they are also considered as pathogenic to springtails.

Keywords: Insect pathogenic fungi, morphology, taxonomy, new species, LSU rDNA