ABSTRACT
Diaporthales is a species-rich order of fungi that includes endophytes, saprobes, and pathogens associated with forest plants and crops. They may also occur as parasites or secondary invaders of plant tissues injured or infected by other organisms or inhabit living animal and human tissues, as well as soil. Meanwhile, some severe pathogens wipe out large-scale cultivations of profitable crops, timber monocultures, and forests. Based on morphological and phylogenetic analyses of combined ITS, LSU, tef1-α, and rpb2 sequence data, generated using maximum likelihood (ML), maximum parsimony (MP), and MrBayes (BI), we introduce two new genera of Diaporthales found in Dipterocarpaceae in Thailand, namely Pulvinaticonidioma and Subellipsoidispora. Pulvinaticonidioma is characterized by solitary, subglobose, pycnidial, unilocular conidiomata with the internal layers convex and pulvinate at the base; hyaline, unbranched, septate conidiophores; hyaline, phialidic, cylindrical to ampulliform, determinate conidiogenous cells and hyaline, cylindrical, straight, unicellular, and aseptate conidia with obtuse ends. Subellipsoidispora has clavate to broadly fusoid, short pedicellate asci with an indistinct J- apical ring; biturbinate to subellipsoidal, hyaline to pale brown, smooth, guttulate ascospores that are 1-septate and slightly constricted at the septa. Detailed morphological and phylogenetic comparisons of these two new genera are provided in this study.
ABSTRACT
Collections of microfungi on bamboo and grasses in Thailand revealed an interesting species morphologically resembling Lophiostoma, but which can be distinguished from the latter based on multi-locus phylogeny. In this paper, a new genus, Sublophiostoma is introduced to accommodate the taxon, S. thailandica sp. nov. Phylogenetic analyses using combined ITS, LSU, RPB2, SSU, and TEF sequences demonstrate that six strains of the new species form a distinct clade within Pleosporales, but cannot be assigned to any existing family. Therefore, a new family Sublophiostomataceae (Pleosporales) is introduced to accommodate the new genus. The sexual morph of Sublophiostomataceae is characterized by subglobose to hemisphaerical, ostiolate ascomata, with crest-like openings, a peridium with cells of textura angularis to textura epidermoidea, cylindric-clavate asci with a bulbous or foot-like narrow pedicel and a well-developed ocular chamber, and hyaline, fusiform, 1-septate ascospores surrounded by a large mucilaginous sheath. The asexual morph (coelomycetous) of the species are observed on culture media.
Subject(s)
Ascomycota/classification , Ascomycota/genetics , DNA, Fungal/genetics , DNA, Ribosomal/genetics , Phylogeny , Sequence Analysis, DNA/methods , Species Specificity , Spores, Fungal/genetics , ThailandABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Species of the fungal genus Arthrinium (Sordariomycetes, Amphisphaeriales, Apiosporaceae) are often found on bamboo in Asia. They are endophytes, saprobes and important plant pathogens. The genus Arthrinium currently contains 92 species and is widely distributed in North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania. NEW INFORMATION: In this study, a new species, Arthrinium bambusicola sp. nov., is described and illustrated. The new taxon is characterised by oval to broadly or irregularly round, medium brown, multi-guttulate to roughened, granular conidia, with finely pale slits in the outer edges. Arthrinium bambusicola can be distinguished from the closest related species A. gutiae by its conidial characteristics. Phylogenetic analyses of a four-locus dataset (ITS, LSU, TEF1, TUB2) confirm that A. bambusicola is a distinct new species.
ABSTRACT
Helotiales is a polyphyletic order of Ascomycetes. The paucity of relevant molecular data and unclear connections of sexual and asexual morphs present challenges in resolving taxa within this order. In the present study, Patellariopsidaceae fam. nov., the asexual morph of Patellariopsis atrovinosa, and a new record of Cheirospora botryospora (Vibrisseaceae) on Fagus sylvatica (Fagaceae) from Italy are discussed based on morphology and molecular phylogeny. Phylogenetic analyses based on a combined sequence dataset of LSU and ITS were used to infer the phylogenetic relationships within the Helotiales. The results of this research provide a solid base to the taxonomy and phylogeny of Helotiales.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Bamboo is a widespread plant with medicinal value. During our taxonomic study on medicinal plants, three collections of Distoseptispora were made from China and Thailand. Phylogenetic analyses of combined LSU, ITS and RPB2 sequence data showed that two collections represented a new species, phylogenetically distinct from other described species in Distoseptispora. NEW INFORMATION: This new species has macronematous, mononematous conidiophores, polyblastic or monoblastic conidiogenous cells and acrogenous, solitary, straight, obclavate, multi-septate, thick-walled conidia. Distoseptispora bambusae sp. nov. is introduced with illustrations and a comprehensive description. The third collection on dead wood from Thailand was identified as D. tectona with newly-generated molecular data for this taxon.
