Isolation and in vitro cultivation of Auriculoscypha anacardiicola D.A. Reid et Manim., an insect-associated and potentially medicinal fungus from India.

Auriculoscypha anacardiicola, an obligate insect-associate and a potential medicinal fungus, is isolated and studied in vitro. Suitable methods for isolation and cultivation of the fungus have been developed. Incubating spore deposits made to fall from basidiomata on tap water agar seems to be the best method for developing cultures. Successful isolations were also accomplished from infected coccids. Cultures could not be developed from single basidiospores and from tissues of the basidiomata. Although production of ballistospores and blastospores as well as germ tube formation were observed at the time of germination of basidiospores, budding blastospores alone produced mycelial cultures. Observations such as the inability of single basidiospores to germinate, emergence of mycelium from a spore deposit, and the apparent conjugation of yeast cells indicate that dikaryotization resulting from fusion of compatible yeast cells is essential for development of mycelium in A. anacardiicola. The fungus grew well on all complex media tested. It seems that a purely synthetic medium devoid of any growth factors cannot support the growth ofA. anacardiicola and yeast extract seems to provide the required growth factors.