Termites and ectoparasitic fungi have been at odds for millions of years. Surprisingly, fungi rarely kill their host and termites are continuously parasitized, albeit at low rates. ‘Termitophilous’ fungi have succeeded in the difficult task of infiltrating the ecological fortress of social immunity that is the termite colony. Here we review 34 definitive ectoparasitic fungal species from nine genera specialized to infest the cuticle of 50 + termite species. In general, reports of fungal ectoparasites on termites are underestimated and the actual prevalence of infestation is likely much greater in nature. In this review, we synthesize >120 yr of reports and studies on ectoparasitic fungi and their termite hosts to present an update to where our knowledge rests and where the proceeding steps should be focused. In reviewing this material, we aim to unite knowledge from two disciplines, entomology and mycology, creating a literary source useful for entomologists and mycologists alike. We provide a comprehensive summary of all fungal genera, illustrations showing morphological distinctions and development on the termite host, a glossary of mycological terminology, and an updated chart of the biogeography of these groups. Additionally, we provide a phylogenetic summary of parasite lineages and their known hosts as well as the first review of molecular evidence obtained from these fungal species.

中文翻译：

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与白蚁有关的外寄生真菌综述

数百万年来，白蚁和外寄生真菌一直存在矛盾。令人惊讶的是，真菌很少杀死它们的宿主，而白蚁不断地被寄生，尽管寄生率很低。“嗜白蚁”真菌成功地渗透了白蚁群落这一社会免疫生态堡垒的艰巨任务。在这里，我们回顾了来自 9 个属的 34 种确定的外寄生真菌物种，这些真菌物种专门侵染 50 + 白蚁物种的角质层。一般来说，关于白蚁身上的真菌外寄生虫的报道被低估了，而且在自然界中侵染的实际流行率可能要高得多。在这篇综述中，我们综合了超过 120 年关于外寄生真菌及其白蚁宿主的报告和研究，以更新我们的知识所在以及应关注的后续步骤。在审查这份材料时，我们的目标是将昆虫学和真菌学这两个学科的知识结合起来，为昆虫学家和真菌学家创造一个有用的文学资源。我们提供了所有真菌属的全面总结、显示白蚁宿主形态差异和发育的插图、真菌学术语表以及这些群体的生物地理学的更新图表。此外，我们提供了寄生虫谱系及其已知宿主的系统发育总结，以及对从这些真菌物种中获得的分子证据的首次审查。真菌学术语表，以及这些群体的生物地理学的更新图表。此外，我们提供了寄生虫谱系及其已知宿主的系统发育总结，以及对从这些真菌物种中获得的分子证据的首次审查。真菌学术语表，以及这些群体的生物地理学的更新图表。此外，我们提供了寄生虫谱系及其已知宿主的系统发育总结，以及对从这些真菌物种中获得的分子证据的首次审查。