Troglomyces twitteri

A new species has just been discovered — on Twitter. It’s a type of parasitic fungus, which researchers have described in the journal MycoKeys.

A new species has just been discovered — on Twitter. It’s a type of parasitic fungus, which researchers have described in the journal MycoKeys.
Its name: Troglomyces twitteri.
Troglomyces twitteri belongs to an order called Laboulbeniales.
- Laboulbeniales are tiny fungal parasites that attack insects and millipedes.
- These fungi live on the outside of host organisms; in this case, on the reproductive organs of millipedes.
- Laboulbeniales were first discovered in the middle of the 19th century. Their taxonomic position was identified in detailed studies performed by Roland Thaxter at Harvard University, beginning in 1890.
- Thaxter described approximately 1260 species of these fungi (State of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry).