Geomyces destructans sp. nov. associated with bat white-nose syndrome

Abstract

We describe and illustrate the new species Geomyces destructans . Bats infected with this fungus present with powdery conidia and hyphae on their muzzles, wing membranes, and/or pinnae, leading to description of the accompanying disease as white-nose syndrome, a cause of widespread mortality among hibernating bats in the northeastern US. Based on rRNA gene sequence (ITS and SSU) characters the fungus is placed in the genus Geomyces , yet its distinctive asymmetrically curved conidia are unlike those of any described Geomyces species.