Escovopsis

Escovopsis is a genus of filamentous fungi in the division Ascomycota that are specialized parasites of the fungal gardens used by leaf-cutting ants. Found in tropical and subtropical regions where attine ants maintain gardens, Escovopsis infections target the ants’ fungal cultivar, commonly Leucoagaricus gongylophorus, by growing hyphae that invade and feed on the cultivated fungus, reducing garden productivity and potentially threatening colony viability. Multiple Escovopsis species have been described, several showing preferences for particular ant hosts or cultivar lineages.

Life cycle and infection: Escovopsis produces propagules — conidia in their asexual phase and spores in their sexual phase — that disseminate within the nest and into the garden material. When introduced into the garden, the parasite colonizes the fungal cultivar, forming mycelial structures that parasitize the host fungus.

Ecology and coevolution: The Escovopsis-ants system is a well-studied example of coevolution between a parasite and a complex social host. Social insects defend their gardens through grooming, removal of infected material, and by sustaining actinobacteria such as Pseudonocardia on their cuticle, which synthesize antifungal compounds that inhibit Escovopsis. In response, Escovopsis lineages diversify, with some lineages associated with specific ant genera or fungal cultivar strains.

Significance: Studying Escovopsis sheds light on parasite management in social insects, microbial symbiosis, and the dynamics of host-parasite interactions in structured ecosystems. Escovopsis is primarily reported in tropical and subtropical leaf-cutting ant communities, though its full diversity and distribution are still being explored.