THE GENUS GIBELLULA ON SPIDERS FROM TAIWAN

Four species of Gibellula were found on spiders in Taiwan. Gibellula leiopus and G. pulchra are redescribed; G. unica, a new species, and G. clavuli- fera var. major, a new variety, are described. A key to the Taiwanese Gibellula species is given. The most dis- tinguishing feature of G. unica is the concurrent or independent production of phialidic or polyblastic conidiogenous cells of, respectively, Gibellula and Granulomanus synanamorphs on the same well dif- ferentiated distinctly verrucose conidiophore. Gibel- lula clavulifera var. major is primarily characterized by a white, solitary, whiplashlike synnema arising from the tip of host abdomen, and from which the bi-, ter-, or rarely monoverticillate penicilli are initi- ated. The verticillate conidiogenous cells on the well differentiated conidiophores are of two types, one phialidic bearing catenate, fusiform to broadly fusi- form conidia; the other holoblastic, with distinct den- ticles bearing solitary, long, bacilliform conidia. Gi- bellula unica is compared to the morphologically sim- ilar species G. brunnea, G. clavata, and G. mirabilis; and G. clavulifera var. major is compared to G. cla-