Insolibasidium is a monotypic genus of fungi in the family Platygloeaceae, order Platygloeales, class Pucciniomycetes, division Basidiomycota. The genus was circumscribed by mycologists Franz Oberwinkler and Robert Bandoni in 1984, with the type and only species being Insolibasidium deformans.
Taxonomy and Classification
The genus was established when Oberwinkler and Bandoni reclassified the species previously known as Herpobasidium deformans (originally described by C.J. Gould in 1945) into a new genus. The taxonomic hierarchy is as follows:
- Kingdom: Fungi
- Division: Basidiomycota
- Subdivision: Pucciniomycotina
- Class: Pucciniomycetes
- Order: Platygloeales
- Family: Platygloeaceae
- Genus: Insolibasidium
- Species: Insolibasidium deformans
Description and Pathology
Insolibasidium deformans is a plant-pathogenic fungus that parasitizes leaves of various Lonicera species (honeysuckle), causing a disease known as honeysuckle leaf blight. The known hosts include at least 18 species of Lonicera. The fungus produces hyphae within leaf tissues and basidia that protrude through the stomata. Microscopically, the basidia are auricularioid, meaning they are tubular with lateral septa.
Infected leaves undergo a progression of symptoms: they become yellow, then brown, and eventually die and dry out with brown areas. Affected leaves often become rolled and twisted and drop prematurely. The disease is commercially significant in plant nurseries.
Distribution and Spread
The species is native to North America. It has been introduced to other regions, including:
- United Kingdom: First observed in 2000.
- Australia: First observed in 2003.
- Germany, Poland, and New Zealand: Also recorded.
Synonyms
- Herpobasidium deformans C.J. Gould (1945) (basionym)
- Glomopsis lonicerae Donk
