Dicephalospora irregularis
Dicephalospora irregularis Lestari, Pasouvang and K.D Hyde, sp. nov. (Figure 7).
Index Fungorum number: IF555157; Facesoffungi number: FOF11034.
Etymology: “irregularis” refers to irregular shape of apothecia.
Holotype: MFLU 22-0054.
It is saprobic on dead twigs of an unidentified tree. Sexual morph: Apothecia 0.5–1.3 × 0.3–1.2 mm, arising singly or in small groups, sessile, erumpent, and irregular in shape. The receptacle is cupulate and orange to yellow-brown. The margins are smooth and brown to dark orange. The disc is slightly convex and orange. The ectal excipulum is 30–45 µm (x = 40 µm, n = 15) in lower flanks, and composed of thick-walled, yellowish cells of textura globulosa to textura angularis. The medullary excipulum is 42–63 µm (x = 48.8 µm, n = 15) in lower flanks, and composed of thin-walled, yellowish to hyaline cells of textura porrecta to textura intricata. The hymenium is hyaline to yellowish. Paraphyses are 2.5–4.0 µm wide (x = 3 µm, n = 15) at the terminal cell, filiform, and numerous, with length exceeding the asci, unbranched to branched at the top with gelatinous matters, and are apically rounded, aseptate, and guttulate. Asci are 125–150 × 15–20 µm (x = 135 × 17 µm, n = 15), eight-spored, unitunicate, cylindrical clavate, and non-amyloid (J- when mounted in Melzer agent with or without KOH treatment), with a rounded apex, arising from simple septa without basal protuberance. Ascospores are 25–35 × 5.5–7.5 µm (x = 33 × 7.5 µm, n = 15), uniseriate to biseriate, and fusoid-clavate to ellipsoid, with rounded to sub-acute ends, capped with gelatinous obconical collar, and are hyaline and guttulate.
Asexual morph: Undetermined.
The details of the material examined are as follows: Thailand, Chiang Mai Province, Mae Taeng District, Pa Pae, on dead stem and twig of an unknown tree, 09 September 2020, Pahua Pasouvang, CM 31 (MFLU 22-0054, holotype).
The GenBank accession information is as follows: ITS-ON511117, LSU-ON514038.
Notes: Our collection MFLU 22-0054 grouped sister to Dicephalospora rufocornea MFLU 18-1825 and HMAS 279697 (Figure 1). The ITS sequence of our specimen shows 96.7% and 98% similarity to the D. rufocornea (MFLU 18-1825) and D. rufocornea (HMAS 279697), respectively, while the LSU data of our specimen show 99% similarity to D. rufocornea (MFLU 18-1825) across 829 bp. Our specimen, D. irregularis, is morphologically distinct from D. rufocornea by having sessile apothecia, ectal excipulum of textura globulosa to textura angularis, non-amyloid asci, and fusoid-clavate to ellipsoid ascospores, while D. rufocornea is characterized by having stipitate apothecia, ectal excipulum of textura porrecta to prismatica, hymenoscyphus-type apical ring, and fusoid or fusoid-clavate ascospores [2,8]. Dicephalospora irregularis differs from D. sessilis in apothecial shape and branched, filiform paraphyses [2], and our species is more distantly related to D. sessilis than D. rufocornea in the phylogenetic tree.
Figure. Dicephalospora irregularis (MFLU 22-0054, holotype). (A) Dead twig substrate; (B–D) top and side view of apothecia; (E) a cross section of an apothecium; (F) cells of ectal excipulum; (G) cells of medullary excipulum; (H,I) a branched paraphyses; (J–M) asci (mounted in Melzer’s reagent; (N,O) ascospores (mounted in KOH 5%). Scale bars: (B–D) = 500 µm; (E) = 200 µm ; (F,G) = 13 µm; (H–L) = 25 µm; (M) = 30 µm; (N) = 20 µm.
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