Laboulbenia casnoniae (Ascomycota, Laboulbeniales) and allied species

For almost a century Laboulbenia casnoniae was the most commonly reported species of the Laboulbeniales (Ascomycota) on European Lebiini (Coleoptera Carabidae). Examination of old collections and of abundant, recently collected material, showed that the "true" L. casnoniae is only found on ground beetles of the genus Colliuris (Odacanthini) in North America, and that all the members of the genus Laboulbenia occurring on European Lebiini belong to a single, different species. The oldest available name for this species is L. notiophili. This species differs from L. casnoniae chiefly in that its inner appendage is composed of shorter and more numerous branchlets. All the other species of Laboulbenia described as parasites of European Lebiini are synonymised with L. notiophili. These are L. blanchardii, L. pulchella, L. pulchella var. major, L. cymindicola, L. metableti, and L. baetica. © 2006 J. Cramer in der Gebrüder Borntraeger Verlagsbuchhandlung.