[4][5] Like most entomopathogenic fungal taxa, Zoophthora has been studied largely in the context of biological control of insect pest species.
[6][7] However, recent research indicates that many fungal taxa that have historically been considered entomopathogenic (e.g., Zoophthora) may serve diverse ecological roles as free-living members of the rhizosphere, as endophytes of plant tissue, and as saprobes.
[5][12] Upon entering an insect's body, some Zoophthora species are able to lose their cell walls and exist as protoplasts; this phenomenon is common in many taxa in the Entomophthorales, and is believed to help the fungus evade its host's immune responses.
Because research on Zoophthora has historically been in the context of biological control of insect pests, the relative contributions of species in this genus to ecosystem functioning have been unexplored.
In direct sampling methods, fungal tissue (generally as conidia, and sometimes as hyphal bodies or protoplasts) is removed from infected arthropod hosts.
[12] Identification Historically, the nuclear status and morphology of the cells comprising conidiophores in Zoophthora have been used to distinguish this taxon from other genera.
[12] Species-level distinctions are difficult to make between members of this genus using morphology alone, but the presence/absence and morphology of the characters listed below have been used to distinguish Zoophthora species with some success: With the advent of the use of molecular markers in inferring phylogenetic information, it is likely that estimates of species-level diversity in Zoophthora will become clearer as more research is conducted.