Dimargaris

DIMARGARIS van Tieghem, 1875 (Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., Sér. VI, 1:154).

Sporangiophores erect, initially simple, becoming branched, fertile heads borne on the nonexpanded or inflated apex of each branch. Multicelled, simple or branched sporiferous branchlets arise by budding from each branch tip. Cells budding from the sporiferous branchlets form whorls of bispored merosporangia. Sporangiospores ellipsoid to cylindrical, smooth-walled, remaining dry or released into a droplet of fluid at maturity. Zygospores more or less globose, wall thick, hyaline, smooth or ornamented, with hyphoid suspensors. Haustorial parasites of Mucorales.

Type species: D. cristalligena

Species of Dimargaris:

D. arida R.K. Benjamin, 1965 (Aliso 6:3).
D. bacillispora R.K. Benjamin, 1959 (Aliso 4:376).
D. cristalligena van Tieghem, 1875 (Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., Sér. VI, 1:365) emend. R.K. Benjamin, 1959 (Aliso 4:365).
D. oblongispora B.S. Mehrotra & Baijal, 1863 (Can. J. Bot. 41:500).
D. simplex B.S. Mehrotra & Baijal, 1964 (Zentralbl. Bakteriol. Hyg., 2 Abt. 118:174).
D. verticellata R.K. Benjamin, 1959 (Aliso 4:374).
D. xerosporica (B.S. Mehrotra & Baijal) R.K. Benjamin, 1965 (Aliso 6:3).

Species of Dimargaris are usually encountered on dung, especially rodent dung, where they are infrequent but widespread in distribution (Benjamin, 1959, 1965; Mehrotra and Baijal, 1963, 1964; Mikawa, 1976: Kirk and Kirk, 1984). These fungi are rarely isolated from soil. All species of Dimargaris are haustorial parasites of Mortierellales and Mucorales; Benjamin (1959) recommended growing them on Cokeromyces recurvatus which was being cultured either on MEYE or YpSs agar. I found that Dimargaris spp. grow and sporulate much better when Cokeromyces recurvatus is grown on V8® juice agar. Good illustrations of several Dimargaris spp. can be found in Benjamin (1959, 1965) and Mikawa (1976).

Bibliography

Benjamin, R.K. 1959. The merosporangiferorus Mucorales. Aliso 4:321-433.

Benjamin, R.K. 1965. Addenda to “The merosporangiferous Mucorales” III Dimargaris. Aliso 6:1-10.

Kirk, P.M., and J.P. Kirk. 1984. Dimargaris, a genus new to the British isles. Trans. Brit. Mycol. Soc. 82:551-553.

Mehrotra, B.S., and U. Baijal. 1963. A new species of Dimargaris from India. Can. J. Bot. 41:499-502.

Mehrotra, B.S., and U. Baijal. 1964. Dimargaris verticellata Benjamin var. xerosporica var. nov. and Dimargaris simplex sp. nov. from India. Zentralbl. Bakteriol. Hyg., 2 Abt. 118:171-177.

Mikawa, T. 1976. Materials for the fungus flora of Japan (21). Trans. Mycol. Soc. Japan 17:4-8.

Wrzosek, M., and Z. Gajowniczek. 1998. Some zygomycetous fungi new to Poland. Acta Mycol. 33:265-271.

Updated Feb 21, 2007