Appearance
Hesperomyces harmoniae can be recognized by these characters (among others):- Perithecium: there are a few lobes at the bottom - two smaller ones and two larger.
- Antheridia: simple, typically 2+4, typical shape with "long neck"
Naming
The species name was changed from Hesperomyces virescens to Hesperomyces harmoniae and recognized as being species-specific to Harmonia axyridis.
Reproduction
The fungus completes its life cycle entirely on the host's integument. Individual thalli (fruiting bodies) are formed directly from ascospores. Location and frequency of these thali suggest that the spores are most probably transmitted by direct contact between individuals, such as during mating.References:
Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.
https://www.verlag-berger.at/res/user/berger/media/3076.pdfhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hesperomyces
Ceryngier, P; Twardowska, K. (2013) Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) as a host of the parasitic fungus Hesperomyces virescens (Ascomycota: Laboulbeniales, Laboulbeniaceae): A case report and short review. - European Journal of Entomology, vol.110, pp.549-557.
https://www.eje.cz/pdfs/eje/2013/04/01.pdf
Haelewaters, Danny; Minnaar, Ingrid A.; Clusella-Trullas, Susana () First finding of the parasitic fungus Hesperomyces virescens (Laboulbeniales) on native and invasive ladybirds (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) in South Africa.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4748155/pdf/parasite-23-5.pdf
Haelewaters D, De Kesel A. (2017) De schimmel Hesperomyces virescens, een natuurlijke vijand van lieveheersbeestjes. Entomologische Berichten, vol.77(3), pp.106-118.
http://www.dannyhaelewaters.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Haelewaters-De-Kesel-2017-De-schimmel-Hesperomyces-virescens-een-natuurlijke-vijand-van-lieveheersbeestjes.pdf
