Laboulbeniales

Herpomyces sp.

The Laboulbeniales are an order of Ascomycota. They are parasitic mainly on aquatic insects and other arthropods.

Characteristics and lifestyle

The Laboulbeniales have reduced thalli. The structure of the Askokarp is still strictly fixed. The parasites penetrate a short distance into the armor of insects.

In a perithecium the ascogonia arise with trichogyne. The fertilization occurs by spermatia. These are formed in the bottle-shaped Spermatangien. It formed thin-walled asci. The ascospores are one or two-celled. Are 10 to 20 days between infection of the host and the maturity of the spores.

System

To order includes about 1500 species, many of which are highly host specific. There are four families:

• Ceratomycetaceae with 12 genera
• Euceratomycetaceae with 5 genera
• Herpomycetaceae with the single genus Herpomyces
• Laboulbeniaceae with 125 genera