Abstract

Fungal infection of mantis shrimp was found from Jun 2005 to Sep 2006. The gills were brown, and disappeared. Two types of fungi were isolated from the gill using PYGS agar. The first two isolates, NJM 0567 and 0672 were similar, namely, whitish colony, fast growing and produced one cell, obovoid conidia with a truncate base. They were closely resemble toAcremonium and identified as Emericellopsis terricola from both ITS and D1/D2 regions. But we could not yet observe the teleomorphic state. Accordingly they were tentatively identified as an anamorph ofE. terricola. Secondaly, the five isolates, NJM 0573, 0662, 0665, 0667 and 0678 were similar, namely were slightly whitish colony, moist, slow growing and produced one cell, cylindrical conidia with a truncate base, and lateral germination at the head. They were assingable as Plectosphaerella cucumerina when compared with the ITS region in the databank; however,they did not produce any teleomorphic state and also had different colony characteristics. Therefore, we currently classify them in Plectosporium, which is an anamorph of P. cucumerina. Biological characteristics and histology were investigated in this study.