Acrodontium species Fungus
New name – Lecanillium species (I called it Verticillium species and that is fitting but an expert in the field of USDA corrected the name. I have added the acceptable names in the other category at the end of this article. Some are outdated. Acrodontium is basically another name in the many names as the genetics testing alters the placement in our great Kingdom of Life.)
Acrodontium Genus
Highest BSL -1
Other names – Engyodontium alba, Beauveria alba, Tritirachium alba, Verticillium possibly Acrodontium.
FOUND: Soil, soil high salinity, soil high acidity, insect related habitat, leaf debris
INDOOR: Moist, wet conditions on drywall, paper, carpet, near insect havens
PATHOGENICITY: A biological pesticide. It is a pathogen to many insects.
COLONY: Slow growing small colonies that are white, yellow, vinaceous, reddish, and brownish.
MICROSCOPIC: Single conidiophores that may have tan pigmentation with long zigzags and not so delicate. Spores are apiculate.
SPORE TRAP RECOGNITION: Very small spores unlikely to be identifiable.
TAPE LIFT RECOGNITION: Can be identified with all structures present but should be confirmed if identification important.
DISSEMINATION: Insect, water droplets, wind, human and animal.
TOXIN PRODUCTION: This is used as a pesticide on fruit trees.
OTHER: Other names are: Cephalosporium coccorum Petch, Trans. Br. mycol. Soc. 10: 175 (1925) [1924]
Cephalosporium dipterigenum Petch, Naturalist (Hull), ser. 3: 102 (1931)
Cephalosporium lecanii Zimm., Teysmannia 9: 243 (1898)
Cephalosporium lecanii f. coccorum (Petch) Bałazy, Borbäsia 14: 132 (1973)
Cephalosporium subclavatum Petch, Trans. Br. mycol. Soc. 25: 262 (1942) [1941]
Cordyceps confragosa (Mains) G.H. Sung, J.M. Sung, Hywel-Jones & Spatafora, in Sung, Hywel-Jones, Sung, Luangsa-ard, Shrestha & Spatafora, Stud. Mycol. 57: 49 (2007)
Sporotrichum lichenicola Berk. & Broome, J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 14(2): 102 (1875)
Torrubiella confragosa Mains, Mycologia 41(3): 305 (1949)
Verticillium coccorum (Petch) Westerd., CBS List of Cultures (Baarn): 103 (1935)
Verticillium lecanii (Zimm.) Viégas, Revista Inst. Café São Paulo 14: 754 (1939)