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A strain (CCFEE 5003) of Lecanicillium muscarium, isolated in Continental Antarctica, showed mycoparasitism in agar cocultures, at 5 and 25 °C, against Mucor mucedo, Botrytis cinerea, Pythium aphanidermatum and Phytophthora palmivora. Different sequential steps were observed in the process leading to parasitism and resulting in a complete host disruption. Parasitism against fungi was characterised by diffused penetration into the host mycelium; with oomycetes, penetration was less evident and the contact between the two organisms was more intimate. Production of glucanolytic and chitinolytic enzymes appeared related to the mycoparasitic process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]