Rhopalomyces elegansis a common species ofzygomycete fungus, and thetype speciesof the genusRhopalomyces. Widely distributed, it is found in soil, rotting plant material, and animal dung. It is afacultative parasiteofnematodeeggs.
Taxonomy[edit]The species was first recorded byAugust Carl Joseph Corda, who isolated it from material collected from aPraguegreenhouse.[1]In 1962, Ellis and Hesseltine demonstrated a method to grow the species inpure cultureby using agrowth mediumcontaining calf's liver and lamb fat.[3]A year later, Ellis recognized fourvarietiesofRhopalomyces elegans, defined by their growth in different media:minor,crassus,apiculatus, and the nominate varietyelegans.[4]
Description[edit]When grown in pure culture conditions on apetri dishat a temperature of 25°C (77°F),Rhopalomyces elegansproduceshyaline(translucent), partially submergedcoloniesthat fill the plate in about six days. The fungus produces large, dark brownconidiosporesborne on a swollen vesicle at the end of aconidiophore. The vesicles measure 40–63μmin diameter. Thehyphaeare very thin, measuring only 2μm in diameter.[4]
Rhopalomyces magnusis similar inmorphology, but only attacks eggs ofrotifers.[5]
Ecology[edit]A common species,R.elegansis found in rotting plant material and animal debris, as well as dung associated with soil.[6]The fungus is aparasiteofnematodeeggs. When it encounters an egg, it produces hyphae that form a structure on the egg surface similar to anappressorium. This structure produces a narrow infection tube that penetrates the egg shell. Once inside, fungal hyphae proliferate by branching and expanding, eventually filling the interior of the egg and absorbing the nutrients within.R.elegansmay be able to attack the larval and adult stages of some nematode species.[6]
Rhopalomyces eleganscan itself be parasitized by the fungiMycogone perniciosaandVerticillium psalliotae.[7]Verticillium psalliotaeis asaprobicsoil-dwelling fungus that is a parasite of the common commercially grownbutton mushroom(Agaricus bisporus).R.elegansmay serve as areservoirfor the pathogen, and may harbor the parasite in its thick cell walls.[8](Wikipedia 2014)
