INSECT MYCOLOGY
and the USDA-ARS Collection of
Entomopathogenic Fungal Cultures
(ARSEF)
Richard A. Humber, Curator, ARSEF, and Insect Mycologist
Karen S. Hansen, Biological Technician
Micheal M. Wheeler, Biological Technician
RESEARCH AND SERVICE OBJECTIVES
- Taxonomy, systematics and biology of fungal pathogens of invertebrates
- Cooperation in research on fungal pathogens of invertebrates
- Maintain the largest, most diverse and most comprehensive culture collection of fungi pathogenic to insect and other arthropods
USDA-ARS COLLECTION OF
SEARCH THE
ARSEF ACCESSIONS DATABASE indexold.shtml
CATALOGS OF
THE ARSEF CULTURE COLLECTION
USEFUL
DOCUMENTS FOR RECIPIENTS OF ARSEF CULTURES
Recipes for Commonly Used Culture Media
Reviving Lyophilized ARSEF Isolates
The ARSEF culture collection is the largest, most diverse, and most comprehensive collection of cultures for fungal pathogens affecting insects, mites, spiders, nematodes, and other invertebrates. ARSEF is an internationally recognized research resource providing clients around the world with cultures, identifications of cultures and specimens, and extensive information resources about entomopathogenic fungi.
The ARSEF collection currently comprises more than 9000 isolates from more than 625 fungal taxa and 1200 diverse hosts, with isolates coming from nearly 1900 locations on every continent of the glove. ARSEF accessions of many taxa represent the only cultures of these fungi available from any laboratory or culture collection. Such commonly encountered entomopathogens as the species of Beauveria and Metarhizium are represented by 2100 and more than 1700 isolates, respectively, from an unparalleled range of hosts and locations. No other culture collection offers such diversity or depth of holdings in these and other major taxa of fungal entomopathogens.
The collection has historically depended on cryogenic storage by immersion in liquid nitrogen. Recent upgrades to our facilities have moved all of our main cryogenic storage into vapor phase but at a temperature very close to that of liquid nitrogen itself. We are actively converting our main stocks of conidial and other fungi that can tolerate preservation in freeze-dried (lyophilized) form to freeze-dried storage in order to facilitate our filling of requests for such fungi; samples of all ARSEF isolate remain in cryogenic storage even if the collection sends out only lyophilized cultures for them.
Background and
operations of the ARSEF Culture Collection
History and purpose of the collection
Identifying and Acknowledging ARSEF Strains in Publications
Updated, Special, and Electronic Catalogs
Depositing and Exchanging Cultures
Diagnostic Services for Cultures and Specimens
Release of ARSEF Cultures from Containment or Quarantine
Ordering Cultures from ARSEF and Need for USDA Permits
Academic, Government, and Other Nonprofit Institutions
Commercial and Industrial Institutions
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION RESOURCES ABOUT ENTOMOPATHOGENIC FUNGI
What's
the Deal with the Entomophthorales?
PDF version of presentation by RA Humber on the latest taxonomies
for entomopathogens in the Entomophthorales and Hypocreales
(Siconbiol XI, Bento Goncalves, Brazil; 1-5 June 2009)
Recent phylogenetically based reclassifications of fungal pathogens of invertebrates (RA Humber 2007)
This document is also available from the website of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology and is included in the introductory material of all ARSEF catalogs.
Phylogenesis and taxonomic structure of the Entomophthoraceae (A Batko, 1974)
This English translation from Polish is an extended 1974 commentary on and justification of BatkoÕs classification of the Entomophthorales. This manuscript presents challenging insights deserving attention and consideration, even now that some phylogenetic studies of these fungi are available. This English translation, first prepared as USDA Technical Translation 77-54076, was editted by RA Humber with great care to preserve the original meaning (as confirmd, with much gratitude from RA Humber, by Stanislaw Ignatowicz and the late Tadeusz Poprawski).
Entomopathogenic fungal identification (RA Humber 1998; updated 2005)
This handout was originally prepared for a workshop taught with Donald Steinkraus (University of Arkansas) and subsequently updated. It includes the key to fungi from the 1977 Manual of Techniques in Insect Pathology (LA Lacey, ed.) and provides a unique new twist on identification by emphasizing the order in which diagnostic characters need to be considered to recognize major species in the most important fungal genera from insects.
An alternative view of certain taxonomic criteria used in the Entomophthorales (Zygomycetes) (RA Humber, 1981, Mycotaxon 13: 191-240)
Synopsis of a revised classification for the Entomophthorales (Zygomycotina) (RA Humber, 1989, Mycotaxon 34: 441-460)
Reprints
of all publications by RA Humber
are
available in PDF format
updated 13 November 2009