New species and isolates of spore-cyst fungi (Plectomycetes: Ascosphaerales) from Australia

Abstract

Fungi in the genus Ascosphaera (Plectomycetes: Ascosphaerales) are of agricultural and horticultural interest as they are only found, in nature, in association with social and solitary bees. To date, only one member of the genus, A. osmophila, has been described from Australia. In this paper, four new species of Ascosphaera, A. duoformis, A. flava, A. solina and A. subcuticulata, are described from Australia, together with previously unrecorded Australian isolates of A. acerosa, A. atra and the honey bee chalkbrood fungus, A. apis.