Flavodon ambrosius sp nov., a basidiomycetous mycosymbiont of Ambrosiodmus ambrosia beetles

Pure fungal cultures recovered from mycangia and fungal gardens of three Ambrosiodmus species were identified as a basidiomycetous fungus within the Polyporales. Culture-independent molecular analysis of the mycangia indicated that this fungus is the dominant symbiont transported by these beetles, and molecular phylogenetic analyses placed this fungus in a lineage with Flavodon flavus. We describe Flavodon ambrosius as a new species based on its phylogenetic position in relation to F. flavus, its role as a mycosymbiont rather than a free-living saprophyte, and its mode of asexual reproduction via arthroconidia.