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First report of Zygospores in Asellariales and new species from the Caribbean

     Unitat de Botànica, Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d’Ecologia, Facultat de Ciències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193-Bellaterra (Barcelona), España

Matías J. Cafaro ²

     Departamento de Biología, Universidad de Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, Puerto Rico 00681-9012

We report the inedited occurrence of zygospores in symbiotic Asellariales (Zygomycota) from Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic. Two new species of Asellaria are described, Asellaria dactylopus and A. jatibonicua, both found in the hindgut of terrestrial isopods. The presence of spherical zygospores in the latter species represents a novelty for the order. The related gut-fungi Harpellales were known to produce sexual spores, characteristically conical or biconical. Order Asellariales is emended to include the description of zygospores. An undetermined species of Orchesellaria also is reported from the Caribbean. Comments are provided for each of the species as well as drawings and photographs to illustrate each taxon.

Key words: Caribbean, Collembola, Isopoda, symbiosis, taxonomy, Zygomycota, zygospores