The Ophiostomatales 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 ...

in the class

Sordariomycetes Sordariomycetes is a class of fungi in the subdivision Pezizomycotina (Ascomycota), consisting of 28 orders, 90 families, 1344 genera. Sordariomycetes is from the Latin sordes (filth) because some species grow in animal feces, though growth habi ...

. They are commonly symbionts to insect species, which can be found in numerous cases, including some

termites Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes (eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blattod ...

and many

bark beetles A bark beetle is the common name for the subfamily of beetles Scolytinae. Previously, this was considered a distinct family (Scolytidae), but is now understood to be a specialized clade of the "true weevil" family ( Curculionidae). Although t ...

. In the cases of most beetle symbioses, the Ophiostomatales fungi is carried in mycangia, which help keep fungal inoculants close to the beetle at all times. In some cases, the fungi are the main source of food for the beetles. In others, the relationship is not as clear.

References

Ascomycota orders {{Sordariomycetes-stub