Microbotryum violaceum
Microbotryum violaceum, also known as the anther smut fungus, was formerly known as Ustilago violacea. It is a Basidiomycete obligate parasite of many Caryophyllaceae. But it has now separated into many species due to its host specificity.
Microbotryum violaceum | |
---|---|
Microbotryum violaceum on Silene alba | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | |
Phylum: | |
Class: | |
Order: | |
Family: | |
Genus: | |
Species: | M. violaceum |
Binomial name | |
Microbotryum violaceum (Pers.) G. Deml & Oberw., (1982) | |
Synonyms | |
Caeoma antherarum (DC.) Nees (1816) |
Meiosis in M. violaceum produces a tetrad of four haploid meiotic products. Pairwise intra-tetrad mating can occur between these meiotic products.[1]
Examples
M. violaceum can infect and sterilize the plant species Silene latifolia by acting like a sexually transmitted infection.
References
- Hood ME, Antonovics J. Intratetrad mating, heterozygosity, and the maintenance of deleterious alleles in Microbotryum violaceum (=Ustilago violacea). Heredity (Edinb). 2000 Sep;85 Pt 3:231-41. PMID:11012726