Escovopsis

Escovopsis is a genus of seven formally acknowledged parasitic microfungus species that rely on other fungi to be their hosts. This genus formally circumscribed with a single identified species in 1990; in 2013 three other species were added. In an early 2015 published study, scientists collected five species of Escovopsis from both genera of fungus-growing ants, Atta and Acromyrmex, four of which came from ant colonies in Brazil and the fifth of which came from Trinidad. These Escovopsis species included E. moelleri, E. microspora, E. weberi, E. lentecrescens, and E. aspergilloides. The research revealed another Escovopsis species (E. trichodermoides) isolated and derived from the lower attine ant, Mycocepurus goeldii. It was determined to be a species independent of the other five species because of its complex branch system and varying conidiophores, which lack typical swelling. A separate study published in January 2015 also looked at the lower attine ant, Mycetophylax morschi, in ......read more on Wikipedia.