title: New insights on the phylogeny and biology of the fungal ant pathogen Aegeritella.
abstract: This paper evaluates the phylogenetic position of the ectoparasitic fungus Aegeritella tuberculata Bałazy & Wiśniewski, and broadly discusses its presence on ants in southern Poland. Field work was conducted in the Silesian Beskid Mountains in 2011-2013. The fungus was found on four species of ants: Lasius niger L., Lasius brunneus Latr., Formica lemani Bondr. and Formica fusca L. The first three species have not been noted previously in the literature as hosts of Aegeritella fungi. The infection rate ranged from 1% for Formica lemani to 21% for L. brunneus. Molecular analysis based on ITS and SSU rDNA sequences revealed close relationships between Aegeritella and Trichosporon isolates. We conclude that the genus Aegeritella-inceratae sedis until now, should be placed within the fungal group Basidiomycota, Tremellomycetes, Tremellomycetidae, Tremellales, Trichosporonaceae.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Institute of Botany, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Al. Ujazdowskie 4, 00-478 Warsaw, Poland. Electronic address: martawrzosek@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wrzosek
authors.affiliation: Centre of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery, ul. Fałata 2d/2, 43-360 Bystra, Poland. Electronic address: gdubiel@o2.pl.
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dubiel
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Institute of Botany, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Al. Ujazdowskie 4, 00-478 Warsaw, Poland. Electronic address: gorczak.michal@wp.pl.
authors.forename: Michał
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gorczak
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Institute of Botany, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Al. Ujazdowskie 4, 00-478 Warsaw, Poland. Electronic address: jzpawlowska@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pawłowska
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, Institute of Botany, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Al. Ujazdowskie 4, 00-478 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tischer
authors.affiliation: Institute for Agricultural and Forest Environment of Polish Academy of Sciences, ul. Bukowska 19, 60-809 Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Stanisław
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bałazy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001000:Ants / Q000382:microbiology*; D001487:Basidiomycota / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000737:chemistry; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D010802:Phylogeny; D011044:Poland; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004271:DNA, Fungal
keywords: Aegeritella; Ants; Ectoparasitic fungi; Formica; Lasius; Trichosporonaceae