Abstract
A thorough review of the literature shows that 32 alleged species have been involved in the genera Beauveria and Tritirachium. Fourteen of these are reduced to synonymy with B. bassiana and B. tenella; ten belong to the form genus Tritirachium; one, "Tritirachium epigaeum", is regarded as uncertain as to genus; and seven are excluded from both. Beauveria stephanoderis, B. laxa, B. globulifera, B. effusa, B. vexans, B. doryphorae, B. delacroixii, and B. acridiorum are strains of B. bassiana; while B. densa, B. melolonthae, B. brongniartii, and B. shiotae are strains of B. tenella. The species T. dependens, T. album, T. spicatum, T. oryzae, T. heimii, T. brumpti, T. musae, T. purpureum, T. cinnamomeum, and T. roseum are characteristic of the form genus Tritirachium. Beauveria peteloti, B. rileyi, B. paranense, B. coccorum, B. coccospora, T. rubrum, and T. viannai are characteristic of neither genus. The above conclusions are based on a study of the cultural and morphological characteristics of numerous Beauveria isolates from 70 insect and four rodent species. Most characteristics adopted by earlier investigators to differentiate between Beauveria species are not valid as criteria upon which to establish species. Moreover, these characteristics are unstable and can be changed simply through monospore culturing or by transferring cultures from one type of medium to another. From a review of the literature, it is evident that: members of the genus Beauveria are primarily parasitic on insects, whereas members of the genus Tritirachium are primarily saprophytes.
Publisher
Canadian Science Publishing