Colletotrichum hederiicola

Colletotrichum hederiicola Jayaward. Camporesi & K.D. Hyde, in Hyde et al., Fungal Diversity 100: 193 (2020)

Index Fungorum number: IF556899; Facesofungi number: FoF 06768

Etymology: Named after host, where the fungus was first discovered.

Holotype: MFLU 15–0689

Saprobic on dead branch of Hedera helix. Sexual morph: Undetermined. Asexual morph: Conidiomata black, acervulus, circular to oval, submerged, solitary or aggregated, conidiophores formed on a cushion of roundish and medium brown cells. Setae not observed. Conidiophores hyaline to pale brown, septate, branched. Conidiogenous cells phialidic, hyaline to pale brown, cylindrical to ovoid or ampulliform, 5.3–11.5 × 2.3–5 μm (x̄ = 7 × 4 μm, n = 15). Conidia hyaline, aseptate, smooth-walled, cylindrical, obtusely rounded apex and a truncated base, guttulate, 7–18 × 2–5 μm (x̄ = 10 × 4 μm, n = 40; L/W ratio = 3.6). Appressoria single, medium brown, globose and rarely lobate, 5–9 × 4–7 μm (x̄ = 6 × 5 μm, n = 5; L/W ratio = 1.3).

Material examined: ITALY, Province of Forlì-Cesena [FC], Fiumana di Predappio, on dead branch of Hedera helix (Araliaceae), 28 October 2014, E. Camporesi, IT 2201 (MFLU 15–0689, holotype).

GenBank Numbers: ITS: MN631384, CHS-1: MN635794, ACT: MN635795.

Note: The gloeosporioides species complex is mainly known as plant pathogens (Weir et al. 2012; Jayawardena et al. 2016) and some species can be endophytes as well as saprobes (Jayawardena et al. 2016). Species in this genus have a wide host distribution. We were unable to obtain a culture for this strain and the herbarium material was used for direct DNA extraction. Our strain falls within the Colletotrichum gloeosporioides species complex and forms a separate branch with 78% ML and 1.00 BYPP and it has a close affinity with C. henanense F. Liu & L. Cai. However, our strain differs from C. henanense in having larger conidia with obtusely rounded apex and a truncate base as well as globose appressoria. Colletotrichum hederiicola differs from C. gloeosporioides var. hederae in having conidia with obtusely rounded apex and a truncate base. Colletotrichum gloeosporioides var. hederae has setae while our strain lacks setae. Colletotrichum hederiicola differs from closely related species in CHS-1 and ACT sequence data.