TRICHOMYCETES IN AQUATIC INSECTS FROM SOUTHERN CHILE

Eleven species of gut fungi and one protist are reported from the Vald ivia region of southern Chile from lotic larvae of Diptera [Ceratopogo nidae (biting midges), Chironomidae (nonbiting midges), Simuliidae (bl ackflies), Tipulidae (craneflies)] and Ephemeroptera [Baetidae (mayfli es)]. Five are new species of Harpellales (Zygomycota: Trichomycetes): Harpella meridianalis, Smittium cylindrosporum, Sm. imitatum, Sm. sim ulatum, and Stachylina ceratopogonidarum. One is a new species of Amoe bidiales, Paramoebidium grande. The three new species of Smittium were cultured axenically, and isozyme analyses indicated they are clearly distinct from other cultured species of Smittium, even though Sm. imit atum and Sm. simulatum are indistinguishable on tile basis of trichosp ore morphology from two widely distributed species, Sm. simulii and Sm . culicis, respectively. Four of six previously known species collecte d in Chile had been found prior to this study only in the Northern Hem isphere.