Courses to improve Collaboration in V4 Countries to learn about Cryptic fungi
Funded by Visegrad Grant
Three institutions with strong backgrounds in taxonomy, phylogenetics, and genomics of insect-related fungi bring together researchers to share expertise with each other and students. In a series of workshops organized in three V4 countries we will tighten collaborations and stimulate knowledge exchange. A citizen science campaign and lectures open to the general public will also be organized.
Project No. 22420237
Role of FSci in the project: Principal applicant
Project duration: 01 October 2024 - 31 March 2026
Total project cost: 37 878 EUR
Head of project: Danny Haelewaters, PhD (he/him/his)
Ghent University & Meise Botanic Garden
University of South Bohemia | Universidad Autónoma de Chiriquí
Website | X | Beetlehangers
Previous events
19 May to 21 May 2025: Citizen science campaign, workshop, and open lecture, České Budějovice, Czechia
The workshop took place in České Budějovice as part of the project Courses to Improve Collaboration in V4 Countries to Learn About Cryptic Fungi, funded through Visegrad Grant No. 22420237 and organized by Danny Haelewaters, László Nagy, and Julia Pawłowska. It brought together participants from several countries for a public lecture, citizen science activities, and training sessions focused on insect-associated fungi and collaborative research. A brief overview of the key events and achievements is provided in the poster below.
Poster Citizen science campaign, workshop, and open lecture
Upcoming events and meetings
FUNGAL PHYLOGENETICS
08 to 12 December 2025: Workshop on fungal phylogenetics and open lecture, Urwitałt, Poland
https://fb.me/e/4Tbh84ai1
FUNGAL GENOMICS
16 to 20 February 2026: Workshop on fungal genomics and open lecture, Szeged, Hungary
https://fb.me/e/7LFch4JtW
Read about our latest papers:
- Biological knowledge shortfalls impede conservation efforts in poorly studied taxa—A case study of Laboulbeniomycetes
- Singleton-based species names and fungal rarity: Does the number really matter?
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnrrCY-IeBw
Polish partner (Julia Pawłowska):
University webpage: https://en.uw.edu.pl/
Faculty of Biology webpage: https://www.biol.uw.edu.pl/en/home-page/
Institute webpage: https://ibe.biol.uw.edu.pl/en/835-2/
Hungarian partner (László Nagy):
Institute webpage: https://www.brc.hu/en
Lab webpage: http://group.szbk.u-szeged.hu/sysbiol/nagy-laszlo-lab-index.html
Sources
de Groot MD, Christou M, Pan JY, Adriaens T, Maes D, Martinou AF, Roy HE, Verbeken A, Haelewaters D. Beetlehangers.org: harmonizing host–parasite records of Harmonia axyridis and Hesperomyces harmoniae. Arthropod-Plant Interactions 18(4): 665-679. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-023-10037-2
Haelewaters D, Matthews TJ, Wayman JP, Cazabonne J, Heyman F, Quandt CA, Martin TE. 2024. Laboulbeniomycetes as a case study for biodiversity shortfalls in poorly studied groups. Journal of Biogeography 51(1): 29-39. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.14725
Haelewaters D, Okrasińska A, Gorczak M, Pfister DH. 2020. Draft genome sequence of the globally distributed cockroach-infecting fungus Herpomyces periplanetae strain D. Haelew. 1187d. Microbiology Resource Announcements 9(6): e01458-19. https://doi.org/10.1128/MRA.01458-19
Fruiting bodies of Hesperomyces harmoniae (Laboulbeniales) on the integument of the invasive alien ladybird Harmonia axyridis Coccinellidae)
