Arthrobotrys superba
Arthrobotrys superba CORDA 1839
Form Genus: Arthrobotrys CORDA 1839
Form Subfamily: Hyalodidymae
Form Family: Moniliaceae
Form Order: Moniliales (Hyphomycetes)
Form Class: Deuteromycetes (Fungi imperfecti)
Division: Eumycota
(System of anamorphs
according to SACCARDO 1886)
Arthrobotrys superba is the type species of its genus.
It is one of the most widespread nematophagous fungi, particularly often
found in rotting leaves, wood and bark of various deciduous as well as coniferous trees
(DRECHSLER 1937;
HAARD 1968; DE HOOG 1985).
It is - like Arthrobotrys oligospora - characterized by rapid hyphal growth and
relatively few ramifications (DRECHSLER 1937).
The conidiophores are upright, often branched, mostly 50-500 µm high
and bear successive groups of up to ten two-celled conidia consisting of a proximal
and a distal cell of about the same size (feature distinguishing it from A.
oligospora, Fig. right above). One conidium is about 13-22 µm long and 5-8 µm broad
(HAARD 1968). Older cultures develop
chlamydospores (durable spores; DE HOOG
1985; own observations). According to own measurements the chlamydospores have
a diameter of about 15-20 µm and are of light-brown colour.
Arthrobotrys superba develops adhesive three-dimensional network traps
(like Arthrobotrys oligospora, cf. Fig.s there)
whose loops are, according to own measurements, about 25-40 µm in diameter.
In presence of nematodes, the conidia germinate developing adhesive hyphae immediately,
able to trap nematodes (Fig. right below).
PFISTER (1994) described the discomycete
Orbilia fimicola (class Ascomycetes) as the
teleomorph
of the anamorph Arthrobotrys superba, which coincides with observations
of DRECHSLER (1937).
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Conidia of Arthrobotrys superba
Nematodes with attached conidia of Arthrobotrys superba just germinated
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