Laboulbenia slackensis and L. littoralis sp. nov. (Ascomycota, Laboulbeniales), two sibling species as a result of ecological speciation.

Abstract

Laboulbenia littoralis is described from the halobiont Cafius xantholoma (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae); it previously was misidentified and not properly documented. Morphologically the new species belongs to a group of carabidicolous taxa similar to Laboulbenia pedicellata and especially Laboulbenia slackensis. It is generally accepted that the specificity of Laboulbeniales is based on their need for substances from the host. In this relatively strict context, shifts between unrelated hosts are difficult to explain. We present morphological and ecological evidence supporting the hypothesis that these fungi are capable of shifting between unrelated hosts as long as they share the same habitat. Adaptation to a particular environment, combined with a reduced dependence from specific nutrients of the host, explains the proposed interfamilial host shift.