The Harpellales are an
order of
fungi
A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...
classified in the subdivision
Kickxellomycotina
Kickxellomycotina is a fungus grouping. In the subkingdom of Zoopagomyceta .
The name was changed from "Harpellomycotina", because "Kickxellomycotina" had an older stem. It came from the genus '' Kickxella'', named after Jean Kickx.
Orders in ...
. Thalli are either unbranched or branched, producing
basipetal
This glossary of mycology is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to mycology, the study of fungi. Terms in common with other fields, if repeated here, generally focus on their mycology-specific meaning. Related terms can be found ...
series of trichospores.
Zygospore A zygospore is a diploid reproductive stage in the life cycle of many fungi and protists. Zygospores are created by the nuclear fusion of haploid cells. In fungi, zygospores are formed in zygosporangia after the fusion of specialized budding struc ...
s are biconical. Species in the order are found attached to the gut lining of aquatic larvae of
Insecta
Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs o ...
or (rarely)
Isopoda
Isopoda is an order of crustaceans that includes woodlice and their relatives. Isopods live in the sea, in fresh water, or on land. All have rigid, segmented exoskeletons, two pairs of antennae, seven pairs of jointed limbs on the thorax, an ...
. Harpellales are divided into two families, the
Harpellaceae and the
Legeriomycetaceae.
According to the ''Dictionary of the Fungi'' (10th edition, 2008), the order contains 38
genera
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
and 200
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
.
[ The order was formally described in 1978 '']Mycotaxon
''Mycotaxon'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that covers the nomenclature and taxonomy of fungi, including lichens. The journal was founded by Grégoire L. Hennebert and Richard P. Korf in 1974. They were frustrated that papers submitted t ...
'' publication.[ Harpellales has served as a model to study and understand the evolution, growth, and biodiversity of other such fungi found in the gut as species are plentiful around the world.][
]
References
Zygomycota
Fungus orders
{{Zygomycota-stub