Neozygites Explained

Neozygites is a genus of fungi in the family Neozygitaceae, which is in the order Entomophthorales.^[1] Commonly used as a pest controller for mites, aphids, and thrips, the genus was described in 1885 by E. Witlaczil.^[2]

Distribution and habitat

Neozygites fresenii has been found in Europe, the Americas, and South Africa.^[3]

Ecology

The main hosts of Neozygites species are mites and aphids; Neozygites fresenii epizootics have been found in colonies of Aphis gossypii in Arkansas, causing a notable reduction in populations of them. Several species of the genus were first described on spider mites, namely N. adjarica, N. floridana, N. tetranychi, and N. tanajoae; Neozygites tanajoae is known to exclusively affect spider mites on Venezuelan and Colombian manioc. Its pest-controlling properties have seen N. tanajoae used in Benin to dissipate Mononychellus tanajoa populations.^[4] The red spider mite is a known host of the epizootics of N. floridana, being affected by the fungus on tomatoes in Brazil.^[5] N. floridana is known to have the ability to significantly lessen the populations of red spider mites, but gratuitous fungicide use can negatively impact the fungus.^[6] The genus is also known to affect thrips.

Taxonomy

In 1987, a new genus Thaxterosporium was proposed, consisting only of N. turbinatus. In 1991, the genus was synonymized with Neozygites.^[7] The genus Neozygites consists of the following 20 species:^{[8] [9]}

• Neozygites abacaridis Miętk. & Bałazy
• Neozygites acaridis (Petch) Milner
• Neozygites adjaricus (Tsints. & Vartap.) Remaud. & S.Keller
• Neozygites cinarae S.Keller
• Neozygites cucumeriformis Miętk. & Bałazy
• Neozygites floridanus (J.Weiser & Muma) Remaud. & S.Keller
• Neozygites fresenii (Nowak.) Remaud. & S.Keller
• Neozygites fumosa (Speare) Remaud. & S.Keller
• Neozygites heteropsyllae Villac. & Wilding
• Neozygites lageniformis (Thaxt.) Remaud. & S.Keller
• Neozygites lecanii (Zimm.) Ben Ze'ev & R.G.Kenneth
• Neozygites linanensis Xiang Zhou & C.Montalva
• Neozygites microlophii S.Keller
• Neozygites osornensis C.Montalva & Barta
• Neozygites parvisporus (D.M.MacLeod & K.P.Carl) Remaud. & S.Keller
• Neozygites remaudierei S.Keller
• Neozygites slavi S.Keller
• Neozygites tanajoae Delal., Humber & A.E.Hajek
• Neozygites tetranychi (J.Weiser) Remaud. & S.Keller
• Neozygites turbinatus (R.G.Kenneth) Remaud. & S.Keller

In addition to these species, two are yet to be classified:

• Neozygites sp. N51
• Neozygites sp. XZ-2015

Notes and References

1. 222002467 . Neozygites. 2024-11-25.
2. Web site: Witlaczil, E. 1885: Archiv für Mikroskopische Anatomie 24: - 599 -. . Biota of New Zealand . 25 November 2024.
3. Montalva . Cristian . Barta . Marek . Rojas . Eladio . Gutiérrez . Mónica . Valenzuela . Eduardo . Neozygites species associated with aphids in Chile: current status and new reports . Mycotaxon . 8 January 2015 . 129 . 2 . 233–245 . 10.5248/129.233 . 25 November 2024 . en . 0093-4666.
4. Agboton . Bonaventure . Hanna . Rachid . von Tiedemann . Andreas . Molecular detection of establishment and geographical distribution of Brazilian isolates of Neozygites tanajoae, a fungus pathogenic to cassava green mite, in Benin (West Africa). . Experimental & Applied Acarology . March 2011 . 53 . 3 . 235–244 . 10.1007/s10493-010-9395-3 . 20838883 . 3029662 .
5. Dara . Surendra K. . Humber . Richard A. . Entomophthoran . Beneficial Microbes in Agro-Ecology . 13 May 2020 . 757–775 . 10.1016/B978-0-12-823414-3.00039-3. 978-0-12-823414-3 .
6. Web site: Twospotted Spider Mite . North Carolina State University . 25 November 2024.
7. Web site: Keller . Siegfried . The genus Neozygites (Zygomycetes, Entomophthorales) with special reference to species found in tropical regions . Zobodat . 25 November 2024.
8. Web site: Neozygites Witlaczil . . 25 November 2024 . en.
9. Web site: Open Tree taxonomy: Neozygites . Open Tree of Life . 25 November 2024.