''Arthrophaga myriapodina'' is a fungus in the

Entomophthorales The Entomophthorales are an order (biology), order of fungi that were previously classified in the class Zygomycetes. A new subdivision, Entomophthoromycotina, has recently been circumscription (taxonomy), circumscribed for them. Most species of ...

that parasitizes the millipedes '' Apheloria virginiensis corrugata'', '' Boraria infesta'', and ''

Nannaria The genus ''Nannaria'', commonly known as twisted-claw millipedes, is a genus of millipedes in the family Xystodesmidae first described by Ralph Chamberlin in 1918. In 2022, entomologists Derek Hennen, Jackson Means and Paul Marek discovered and ...

'' sp. Infected millipedes typically climb to an elevated spot before death.

Taxonomic history

''Arthrophaga myriapodina'' was first collected by

Roland Thaxter Roland Thaxter (August 28, 1858 – April 22, 1932) was an American mycologist, plant pathologist, botanist, and entomologist, renowned for his contribution to the insect parasitic fungi—Laboulbeniales. His college education was completed at Har ...

from North Carolina in 1886 on ''Boraria infesta'', but he did not formally describe or name it. In 1916, A. T. Speare sent Thaxter additional specimens labelled as ''Entomophthora myriapodina'', but the name was never validly published. Kathie T. Hodge, Ann E. Hajek, and Andrii Gryanskyi showed that ''A. myriapodina'' is distinct from related taxa including ''

Entomophthora ''Entomophthora'' is a fungal genus in the family Entomophthoraceae. Species in this genus are parasitic on flies and other two-winged insects. The genus was circumscribed by German physician Johann Baptist Georg Wolfgang Fresenius (1808-1866) ...

'' and formally named it as the type of a new genus.

Morphology

''Arthrophaga myriapodina'' forms white to light brown pustules that emerge between the segments of a millipede. Its primary conidia are pear-shaped and contain 8–18 nuclei. They are forcibly discharged. No resting spore stage has been observed.

Ecology

''Arthrophaga myriapodina'' is found in eastern North America from May to October, usually 12 to 24 hours after rain.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q65049882 Entomophthorales Fungus species