Choke vs Guemal

Epichloe typhina compared with Hippocamelus bisulcus

Key Differences

• Choke is Not Evaluated while Guemal is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Choke	Guemal
Kingdom	Fungi (菌界)	Animalia (動物)
Phylum	Ascomycota (子嚢菌門)	Chordata (脊索動物)
Class	Sordariomycetes (フンタマカビ綱)	Mammalia (哺乳類)
Order	Hypocreales (ボタンタケ目)	Artiodactyla (偶蹄目)
Family	Clavicipitaceae	Cervidae (Deer)
Genus	Epichloe	Hippocamelus
Species	Epichloe typhina	Hippocamelus bisulcus

Conservation Status

Choke

NE — Not Evaluated

Guemal

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Choke	Guemal
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Choke

Habitat

Native to North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in United States.

Guemal

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Choke

Choke (Epichloe typhina) is an endophytic and pathogenic fungus in the family Clavicipitaceae, phylum Ascomycota, that colonises the tissues of various cool-season grasses (Poaceae) across Europe and North America. The name refers to the disease it causes — infected grass tillers are typically 'choked' (prevented from flowering) when the fungus produces a dense, white to cream-coloured, stromata (a compact fungal structure) that surrounds the flowering stem before it can emerge, suppressing seed production. Epichloe species exist along a mutualism-parasitism continuum; some strains are biotrophic endophytes living almost entirely within grass tissues without obvious symptoms and conferring benefits to the host such as increased drought resistance and deterrence of herbivores through alkaloid production, while others — including E. typhina — are more parasitic in nature, sterilising infected host tillers. The fungus spreads via airborne ascospores produced on its stroma that infect new host plants. Related Epichloe/Neotyphodium endophytes are of great practical importance to agriculture as they produce ergot alkaloids and other compounds that can cause toxicosis in livestock grazing infected pasture grasses. As a fungal pathogen/endophyte rather than a wildlife species, it is Not Evaluated by the IUCN.