Backusella is the sole genus of zygote fungi in the family Backusellaceae, which is classified in the order Mucorales. Members of this genus have been often isolated from plant litter, from locations around the world.
Taxonomy C. W. Hesseltine and J. J. Ellis recognised the uniqueness of a new species, B. circina, warranted its classification in a new genus; in 1969 they established Backusella, named in honour of Professor M. P. Backus. Since then, several species previously placed in the archetypal mucoralean genus Mucor were reassessed, found to be close relatives of B. circina, and combined into Backusella as additional Backusella species, while other species were discovered and classified outright as Backusella. K. Voigt & P.M. Kirk established the family Backusellaceae to include Backusella in 2012, as they likewise recognised the uniqueness of the genus and the need to classify it within a distinct family.
Accepted species The genus consists of the following 27 accepted species:
Backusella australiensis Urquhart & Douch Backusella azygospora T.R.L. Cordeiro et al. Backusella chlamydospora Hyang B. Lee & T.T.T. Nguyen Backusella circina J.J. Ellis & Hesselt. – generic type species Synonym: Mucor pseudolamprosporus H. Nagan. & Hirahara Synonym: B. johorensis L.S. Loh et al. Backusella constricta D.X. Lima et al. Backusella dispersa (Hagem) Urquhart & Douch Basionym: M. dispersus Hagem Backusella gigacellularis J.I. Souza et al. Backusella granulispora L.S. Loh & Kuthub. Backusella indica (Baijal & B.S. Mehrotra) Walther & de Hoog Basionym: M. recurvus var. indicus [as 'indica' ] Baijal & B.S. Mehrotra Backusella koreana Hyang B. Lee et al. Backusella lamprospora (Lendn.) Benny & R.K. Benj. (1975) Basionym: M. lamprosporus Lendn. Synonym: B. circina var. lamprospora (Lendn.) R.Y. Zheng Backusella liffmaniae Urquhart & Douch Backusella locustae Hyang B. Lee et al. Backusella luteola Urquhart & Douch Backusella macrospora Urquhart & Douch Backusella mclennaniae Urquhart & Douch Backusella morwellensis Urquhart & Douch Backusella oblongielliptica (H. Nagan. et al. ex Pidopl. & Milko) Walther & de Hoog Basionym: M. oblongiellipticus H. Nagan. et al. ex Pidopl. & Milko Backusella oblongispora (Naumov) Walther & de Hoog Basionym: M. oblongisporus Naumov Backusella parvicylindrica Urquhart & Douch Backusella psychrophila Urquhart & Douch Backusella recurva (E.E. Butler) Walther & de Hoog Basionym: M. recurvus E.E. Butler Synonym: M. recurvus var. aspinosus L.S. Loh Synonym: M. aromaticus Povah Backusella tarrabulga Urquhart & Douch Backusella thermophila Hyang B. Lee et al. Backusella tuberculispora (Schipper 1978) G. Walther & de Hoog Basionym: M. tuberculisporus Schipper 1978 Synonym: M. heterosporus sensu Baijal & Mehrotra; fide Schipper Backusella variabilis (A.K. Sarbhoy) G. Walther & de Hoog Basionym: M. variabilis A.K. Sarbhoy Synonym: M. grandis Schipper & Samson Synonym: B. grandis (Schipper & Samson) G. Walther & de Hoog Backusella westeae Urquhart & Douch
Former species The following species was at one point considered by some authorities to be in the genus Backusella, although this is no longer so:
Mucor ctenidius (Durrell & M. Fleming) Pidopl. & Milko ex Benny & R.K. Benj. Basionym: Thamnidium ctenidium Durrell & M. Fleming Synonym: B. ctenidia (Durrell & M. Fleming) Pidopl. & Milko ex Benny & R.K. Benj.
See also
References
Further reading