The ARSEF Culture Collection and Its Associated Services
IMPORTANT NOTE: Taxonomic changes in Verticillium move
all entomopathogenic species to new genera. Look here for the
pertinent references and an explanation in PDF or
in Word format.
History and purpose of the collection
Identifying and Acknowledging ARSEF Strains in
Publications
Updated, Special, and Electronic Catalogs
Depositing and Exchanging Cultures, Diagnostic Services
Diagnostic Services for Cultures and Specimens
Release of ARSEF Cultures from Containment or Quarantine
Ordering Information
Catalogs of USDA-ARS Culture Collection
Ordering Cultures from ARSEF, and Need for USDA Permits
Academic, Government, and Other Nonprofit Institutions
Commercial and Industrial Institutions Terms of Shipment
Terms of Shipment
Contacting ARSEF Staff
ARSEF Catalogs
Files compiled: 28 September 2005
These catalog files are in the Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format
readable with the Adobe
Acrobat Reader (vers. 6)
which is available free of charge.
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Catalog.pdf |
333 pages; 1.7 Mb |
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The complete, indexed ARSEF catalog in a single file |
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Fungus.pdf |
191 pages; 1.3 Mb |
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The introductory material and main body of the
catalog listing all fungi alphabetically and the ARSEF isolates available
for them. No indices are included.
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Indices.pdf |
142 pages; 744 Kb |
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The complete set of all five separate indices in a single file |
Individual Indices:
| Host
by Fungus |
hostfung.pdf |
19 pages; 200Kb |
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Fungus > host order/family > host genus/species > ARSEF |
| Fungi by Host and Location |
hostloc.pdf |
27 pages; 240 Kb |
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Host kingdom or substrate > host class/order
> host family > genus
and species > geographical origin > fungus
genus/species > ARSEF
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| Geographical Origin |
geograph.pdf |
16 pages; 180 Kb |
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Country > state/province > fungus genus/species > ARSEF |
| Alternate Collections |
altcoll.pdf |
48 pages; 360 Kb |
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This is a varied and cross-indexed section for original strain designations as received from depositors and correspondences between ARSEF accessions held by other culture collections |
| List
by ARSEF Number |
ARSEFnum.pdf |
32 pages; 140 Kb |
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Numerical listing of ARSEF isolates and their taxonomic identifications |
Special ARSEF Catalogs
These special catalogs are complete and indexed subsets of
ARSEF accessions for our most commonly requested isolates.
Updated: 28 September 2005
Acknowledgments
The body and indices of this catalog are reproduced in Adobe Acrobat® format direct output from a customized ACIUS 4th Dimension® application based on that is used for all aspects of record keeping for the ARSEF culture collection.
Sincere thanks are due to Timothy S. Larkin for his indispensable role in implementing
and, on occasion, correcting this collection management application and to Mary-Lynn
Cummings, John W. Roberts, and Karen S. Hansen for their fine-tuning of the
database design and diligence in the never-ending process of entering, verifying,
and rectifying the information in the database. Without their collective skills,
commitment, and concern, this wholly revised catalog would not have been possible.
History and Purpose of the ARSEF Collection
The goal of the ARS Collection of Entomopathogenic Fungi (ARSEF) is to
provide fundamental support for basic and applied research on the fungal
pathogens of invertebrates. Since its establishment in the early 1970s, this
collection has served as a general research resource for the isolation, collection,
preservation, and distribution of fungal strains from insects, other arthropods,
and nematodes. Emphasis has always been placed on acquiring and distributing
strains under active study for use as potential biological control agents.
Basic research associated with the collection includes fungal systematic's,
fungal cytology, pathobiology, and methodology for fungal cryopreservation.
The culture collection and its associated collection of microscope slides
and herbarium specimens provide invaluable support for taxonomic research
on and the diagnoses of fungal pathogens of invertebrates. Identification
services for specimens and cultures have always been available free of charge
to any laboratories requesting them.
We strive to provide users with pure and accurately identified fungal cultures. Uncertainties about strain identifications not stated in this catalog will be communicated to culture recipients. The curator of the collection welcomes all correspondence about nomenclatural or taxonomic changes or possible misidentifications involving any ARSEF strains.
This culture collection began as Dr. Richard Soper's research collection at the ARS Plant, Soil, and Water Laboratory at the University of Maine at Orono (UMO). The original UMO prefix for these cultures was changed to the site-independent prefix RS for Richard Soper. In 1978, the ARS Insect Pathology Research Unit and its culture collection were relocated to be associated with the Insect Pathology Program of the Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) in its new building on the Cornell University campus. The Insect Pathology Research Unit and some other small ARS units on the Cornell campus were united into the Plant Protection Research Unit (PPRU) in October 1985. After occupying transitional quarters, the PPRU insect pathology program and the culture collection moved in November 1990 into newly renovated laboratories in the U.S. Plant, Soil, and Nutrition Laboratory (across the street from the Boyce Thompson Institute).
The Plant Protection Research Unit owns and operates this culture collection; it is not now nor has it ever been owned or controlled by the Boyce Thompson Institute even though BTI administers the collection's sales account. This culture collection is one of the largest microbial germplasm collections in the USDA-ARS, and PPRU is widely recognized for its active support and encouragement of global research on fungal pathogens of arthropods. The culture collection and its associated herbarium are respectively registered under the ARSEF acronym with the World Federation of Culture Collections' World Data Center on Microorganisms and with the International Association of Plant Taxonomists' Index Herbariorum.
Since 1977, all strains in the collection have been stored by immersion in liquid nitrogen at -196 C, but limited dewar space will require shifting many strains from cryogenic to lyophil storage within the near future. Requests for cultures are filled with either live cultures on appropriate solid or liquid media or lyophil tubes (plus instructions for fungal recovery), depending on how the requested strain is stored.
Identifying and Acknowledging ARSEF Strains in Publications
We ask that all publications using or referring to strains obtained from ARSEF acknowledge the ARSEF culture collection and state the ARSEF accession numbers of these strains. We would greatly appreciate receiving reprints of all past, current, and future publications involving ARSEF strains.
Accession numbers of strains from commercial culture collections such as
the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), Centralbureau voor Schimmelcultures
(CBS), CAB International Mycological Institute (IMI), and the University
of Alberta Microfungus Collection (UAMH) are listed in this catalog only
for sake of providing complete information only. Cultures received from ARSEF
should be referred to by their ARSEF numbers only. Citation of cultures
obtained from ARSEF by any corresponding ATCC, CBS, IMI or UAMH accession
numbers they may also have is a violation of trademark laws; persons doing
so are subject to prosecution.
Updated, Special, and Electronic Catalogs
Periodic updates of the general and special ARSEF catalogs and the update to the printed 1992 catalog will be mounted on this web page.
Printed copies of the 1992 catalog of ARSEF isolates (covering isolates up through 3736 are available without cost upon request to the Curator . Complimentary copies of the ARSEF data base and/or the customized application used to manage it can be obtained upon consultation with the curator of the ARSEF collection.
It is anticipated that a fully interactive, searchable version of ARSEF
culture accession data will be made available at this web site in 2004.
Depositing and Exchanging Cultures
The ARSEF culture collection encourages deposition of entomopathogenic fungal cultures - particularly strains used in published studies - as well as of voucher and reference specimens to its herbarium. Depositors may reserve the right to limit redistribution of any culture deposited with ARSEF for specified times upon consultation with the curator. Depositors can receive subcultures of their own depositions at any time; these cultures do not affect any allowances for free cultures.
Exchanges of cultures between ARSEF and other research or general collections of fungal cultures are encouraged and are not subject to numerical limits.
Prior to shipping cultures from countries outside the United States contact the Curator to obtain the appropriate needed importation permit from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, Plant Protection and Quarantine.
When sending cultures and/or specimens to ARSEF, it is very important to include as much of the following information as possible:
- Scientific name (and taxonomic authority) of the fungus.
- Common and scientific name (with taxonomic authority) of the host.
- Order and family of the host. (This is essential information!)
- Date and site of collection.
- Name of collector.
- Date and name of isolator.
- Any collection, accession, or other identifier number(s) applied by the
collector or sender.
- Medium on which a culture is sent.
- Any special requirements or conditions for growth (such as medium, temperature, pH).
Diagnostic Services for Cultures and Specimens
Specimens and cultures of unidentified fungi from invertebrates can be submitted
to ARSEF for diagnosis. This service is an important function of the ARS Collections
of Entomopathogenic Fungi and is provided without charge. Identifications and
information about the disposition of specimens will be provided to the sender
as quickly as possible.
Release of ARSEF Cultures from Containment or Quarantine
Neither the curator nor any employee of ARSEF or of the Plant Protection Research Unit is entitled to authorize the release of any culture it provides from laboratory containment or quarantine in the United States or elsewhere. Recipients of ARSEF cultures are responsible for obtaining all appropriate and necessary permissions from or for providing official notifications to State and Federal regulatory agencies.
Ordering Cultures from ARSEF, and Need for
USDA Permits
All requests for isolates should be sent by electronic mail to the Curator
, by telephone: to [+1]-607-255-1276, by fax: to [+1]-607-255-1132, or by mail
to the Curator, ARS Collection of Entomopathogenic Fungal Cultures, U.S. Plant,
Soil, and Nutrition Laboratory, Tower Rd., Ithaca, NY 14853-2901. Please be
sure that incoming requests for isolates also include complete contact information
for the recipient: complete mailing address, email, phone, and fax numbers.
Please note that deliveries by express courier service, if this is the recipient's
preferred means of shipment, cannot be made to post boxes; a street address
is required for such deliveries.
If at all possible, recipients of cultures from outside
the United States are requested to communicate with the Curator
about providing an account number with an established courier service such as
Federal Express (FedEx), DHL or the like to expedite shipments and clearance
through quarantine and customs in the receiving country. Wherever possible the
ARSEF Collection requests recipients to bear the costs of shipping in order
to continue providing the sorts of services being provided.
Important note for U.S. customers: It is necessary for recipients
of ARSEF cultures to arrange for any required regulatory permits to authorize
the receipt of desired cultures from the ARSEF collection. The preferred way
to obtain the needed USDA-APHIS Form 526, Application and Permit to Move Live
Plant Pests or Noxious Weeds, is through the online
ePermits system.
Academic, Government, and Other Nonprofit Institutions:
1-5 isolates [up to 7 isolates per calendar year] no charge
>6 per order [or >8 per calendar year] US$40 per strain
Users from nonprofit institutions can receive up to five isolates without charge in any 6 month period,
and up to seven cultures in any calendar year. Requests in excess of these limits will be charged at the
rate of US$40 per additional isolate requested.
Requests from commercially sponsored research programs undertaken by nonprofit institutions are charged
at the commercial rate and are not subject to numerical limits.
Prices are subject to change without notice.
Commercial and Industrial Institutions: US$75 per strain
Nonprofit institutions working on commercially sponsored contractual projects (such as screening programs)
are charged at the rate of US$75 per strain requested. There are no limits on the numbers of cultures that can be
requested or shipped.
Commercial or industrial firms supporting research at the ARS Plant Protection Research Unit are entitled to
free access to cultures pertinent to contracted projects; all other requests are charged at the current rate.
Prices are subject to change without notice.
Terms of Shipment
Isolates will not be pulled from storage to prepare for shipment until it any
required permits to receive fungi have been provided, or any questions about
shipping needs and methods agreed upon between the recipient and ARSEF staff.
Any billings for isolates are issued through the Boyce Thompson Institute for
Plant Research, Inc.. We encourage prepayment for isolates. Checks or money
orders for strains must be made out to the Boyce Thompson Institute but sent
directly to the curator of the ARS Collections of Entomopathogenic Fungi.
Consult the curator of the collections with questions about fees due for any
particular shipment. Recipients of isolates in locations outside the United
States are encouraged to provide express courier (FedEx, DHL, etc.) account
numbers at the time of placing a request so that (1) the fastest and most secure
shipping method allowing continuous tracking and the most expeditious clearance
of quarantine and customs in the receiving country is available, and (2) the
cost of shipping of automatically billed to the recipient. Shipments leaving
the United States will be made by international airmail services unless arrangements
for express courier service are made.
We request confirmation of receipt and viability of cultures shipped. Strains that are inviable upon receipt will be replaced.
ARSEF reserves the right to refuse to ship strains
- to recipients who cannot handle them with standard microbiological practices,
- to laboratories that cannot assure laboratory containment of isolates except after obtaining permissions
from applicable State and Federal regulatory agencies,
- if use of routine mailing or shipping procedures cannot assure the receipt of viable cultures.
Neither ARSEF, the ARS Plant Protection Research Unit, the Boyce Thompson Institute nor any staff of these institutions shall be held liable for damages arising from the misidentification of any isolates.
Contacting ARSEF Staff
Richard A.
Humber, Curator / Insect Mycologist
USDA-ARS Plant Protection Research Unit
U.S. Plant, Soil, and Nutrition Laboratory
Tower Rd.
Ithaca, New York 14853-2901
Phone: (607) 255-1276
Fax: (607) 255-1132
Email: richard.humber@ars.usda.gov
or rah3@cornell.edu
Karen S. Hansen, Biological Technician
USDA-ARS Plant Protection Research Unit
U.S. Plant, Soil, and Nutrition Laboratory
Tower Rd.
Ithaca, New York 14853-2901
Phone: (607) 255-1274
Fax: (607) 255-1132
Email: arsef@cornell.edu
Micheal M. Wheeler, Biological Technician
USDA-ARS Plant Protection Research Unit
U.S. Plant, Soil, and Nutrition Laboratory
Tower Rd.
Ithaca, New York 14853-2901
Phone: (607) 255-1274
Fax: (607) 255-1132
Email: mmw5@cornell.edu