Table 2 Morphological and ecological comparison between Ophiocordyceps species associated with blattodean insects (termites and cockroaches)
Species | Stromata | Perithecia | Asci | Ascospores | Distribution | Death position | Host | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ophiocordyceps asiatica | Solitary, simple, filiform, up to 15 cm long, orange-brown | Superficial, globose to sub-globose, 240–320 × 180–260 μm | filiform 92.5–175 × 5–6.3 μm | whole, septate, 90–132.5 × 1–2 μm | Thailand | Buried in soil | Blattodea, Isoptera, Termitidae, Macrotermitinae (Reproductive caste) | Tasanathai et al. (2019) |
Ophiocordyceps brunneirubra | Solitary, simple or branched, narrowly clavate, slender and wiry, 9.5 cm long, orange brown to red brown | Immersed, ovoid, 300–400 × 130–200 μm | Cylindrical, 155–225 × 4.5–8 μm | Whole, filiform, septate, 156.5–197.5 × 2–3 μm | Thailand | Buried in soil | Blattodea, Isoptera, Termitidae, Macrotermitinae (Reproductive caste) | Tasanathai et al. (2019) |
Ophiocordyceps khokpasiensis | Solitary, simple, cylindrical 16 cm long, brown | pseudo-immersed, sub-globose 200–250 × 120–200 μm | Filiform, 62.5–125 × 4–5 μm | Whole, filiform, 46–90 × 2–3 μm | Thailand | Buried in soil | Blattodea, Isoptera, Termitidae, Macrotermitinae (Reproductive caste) | Tasanathai et al. (2019) |
Ophiocordyceps mosingtoensis | Solitary, simple, cylindrical, 11 cm long, brown to grey | Pseudo-immersed, ovoid, 400–500 × 200–300 μm | Filiform, 187.5–287.5 × 4.5–7.5 μm | Whole, filiform, septate, 230–315 × 1.5–3 μm | Thailand | Buried in soil | Blattodea, Isoptera, Termitidae, Macrotermitinae (Reproductive caste) | Tasanathai et al. (2019) |
Ophiocordyceps pseudocommunis | Solitary, simple, cylindrical, up to 21 cm long, yellow brown | Superficial, sub-globose 520–600 × 360–440 μm | Filiform, 160–165 × 14–17 | Whole with 7–8 septa, 107.5–147.5 × 6–7.5 | Thailand | Buried in soil | Blattodea, Isoptera, Termitidae, Macrotermitinae (Reproductive caste) | Tasanathai et al. (2019) |
Ophiocordyceps communis | Solitary, simple, filiform, 5–13 cm long, yellow brown | Superficial 285–675 × 195–390 μm | Filiform, 215–250 × 15 μm | Whole, filiform, 100–180 × 5–6 μm | Thailand | Soil | Blattodea, Isoptera | Sung et al. (2007) |
Ophiocordyceps pseudorhizoidea | Solitary, simple, filiform, up to 21 cm long, light brown | Superficial, ovoid, 280–390 × 160–220 μm | Cylindrical, 120–150 × 5–7 μm | Whole, septate, 65–82.5 × 2–3 μm | Thailand | Buried in soil | Blattodea, Isoptera, Termitidae, Macrotermitinae (Reproductive caste) | Tasanathai et al. (2019) |
Ophiocordyceps termiticola | Solitary, simple, filiform, up to 14 cm long, yellow brown | Pseudo-immersed, globose to sub-globose, 200–280 × 150–250 μm | Filiform, 62.5–110 × 4–6 μm | Whole, filiform, 85 × 2 μm | Thailand | Buried in soil | Blattodea, Isoptera, Termitidae, Macrotermitinae (Reproductive caste) | Tasanathai et al. (2019) |
Ophiocordyceps blattae | Solitary, cylindric, 1 cm long, grey to lavender (“tissue” dark red-brown) | Immersed, conoid, 200 × 150 μm | Cylindrico–clavate, 4 or 8-spored 100–130 × 8–12 μm | Whole, multi-septate, elongated-fusoid, 50–80 × 3–4 μm | Sri Lanka | Underside of leaves | Blattodea, Blattidae | Petch (1924) |
Ophiocordyceps salganeicola | One or two, clavate to cylindrical, 1–7 × 0.15 cm, cream to brown | Immersed to semi-immersed, ovoid to flask-shaped, (325–) 365 (− 408) × 100–140 μm | Elongated clavate, hyaline, 8-spored, 150–200 × 7–11 μm | Whole, hyaline, 70–100 × 3 μm, 7-septate | Japan | Inside dead wood | Blattodea, Blaberidae, Panesthiinae (adult of Salganea esakii, S. taiwanensis) | This study |
Ophiocordyceps blattarioides | Gregarious, Simple, capitate, fertile part ovoid to sub-globoid, chestnut brown, 1.4–2 cm long | Immersed, ellipsoid, (650–) 760–800 × 220–300 μm | Cylindrical, (180–) 250 (−300) × 4–5 μm | Partspores, truncate, 6–12 (− 16) × 1.5 μm | Belize, Colombia, Ecuador | Leaf litter | Blattodea, Blattidae, Dictyoptera (adult of Neostylopyga sp.) | Sanjuan et al. (2015) |
Ophiocordyceps bispora | Multiple (20–30), clavate, simple of branched, cream with dark perithecia, 1.5 × 0.15 cm | Globose, 300–375 × 375 μm | Clavate, 2-spored, 162–163 × 58–61 μm | Eliptical, flattened in one side, thick walled, dark, 95–105 × 34–35.4 μm | Tanzania, Kenya | Underneath stone | Blattodea, Isoptera, Termitidae, Macrotermitidae, (Macrotermes natalensis, M. subhyalinus, M. michealseni) | |
Ophiocordyceps octospora | Multiple, clavate, 0.2–0.3 cm long | Sub-globose to ovoid, 180–220 × 200 μm | Clavate, 8-spored, 250 × 60 μm | Cylindric, flattened in one side curved on the other, no septa, 40–70 × 15–30 μm | Mexico | Near a stone wall | Blattodea, Isoptera, Termitidae (Tenuirostitermes tenuirostris) | Blackwell and Gilbertson (1981) |