Algovorax Tedersoo & Y. Ding, 2025

Tedersoo, Leho, Hosseyni Moghadam, Mahdieh S., Panksep, Kristel, Prins, Victoria, Anslan, Sten, Mikryukov, Vladimir, Bahram, Mohammad, Abarenkov, Kessy, Kõljalg, Urmas, Esmaeilzadeh-Salestani, Keyvan, Pawłowska, Julia, Wurzbacher, Christian, Ding, Yi, Alkahtani, Saad Hussin & Nilsson, R. Henrik, 2025, Thirty novel fungal lineages: formal description based on environmental samples and DNA, MycoKeys 124, pp. 1-121 : 1-121

Algovorax Tedersoo & Y. Ding gen. nov.

Type species.

Algovorax scenedesmi (Fott) Tedersoo & Y. Ding .

Description.

Thallus monocentric, consisting of extramatrical, inoperculate, spherical to oval sporangium, and intramatrical spherical apophysis. Rhizoids absent. Zoospores spherical, thin-walled. Resting spores spherical, thick-walled, arising from the extramatrical sporangium. Parasitic on green algae.

Diagnosis.

Distinguishable from other genera of Monoblepharomycota by an intramatrical spherical apophysis and inoperculate sporangium. Distinguishable from other fungi based on diagnostic nucleotide signatures in 5.8 S-ITS 2 (positions starting from 150 in type species and 154 in S. cerevisiae gtgaaacctcctcaa; one mismatch allowed) and from other groups of Monoblepharomycota in SSU V 7 (positions 1485–1494 in S. cerevisiae acgagtatat; one mismatch allowed). Forms a monophyletic, least inclusive clade in Algovoracaceae, covering sequences MF 163176 , OQ 702880, EF 024210, and OQ 687303 (Figs 1 , 14 ).

Notes.

There are potentially around 6–8 species in Algovorax based on ITS sequences, with examples including taxa represented by sequences OQ 702880 (algal sample in MI, USA), EUK 0319806 (lake sediment in Estonia), EUK 0319324 (river sediment in Italy), EUK 0319845 , and EUK 0320075 (both lake sediment in Germany).

Figures

Figure 1. Maximum Likelihood SSU- 5.8 S-LSU phylogram indicating placement of novel lineages in the fungal kingdom as highlighted in a coloured shade and red font. Previously described taxonomic clades are collapsed. All branches of Sumavosporidiomycetes and Gelotisporidiomycetes are shortened two-fold. Poorly supported branches with bootstrap values below 95 % / 99 % are indicated in blue. The original tree with bootstrap values and uncollapsed branches is indicated in Suppl. material 1.

Figure 14. Maximum Likelihood SSU- ITS - LSU phylogram indicating the position of Algovorax scenedesmi and Solivorax pantropicus within Algovoracomycetes, with ultra-rapid bootstrap values indicated (for higher-level classifications mainly). Other genus-level groups are collapsed. Monoblepharomycota spp. were used as an outgroup.