Sigarispora caulium

1. Sigarispora caulium (Fr.) Thambug., Wanas., Kaz. Tanaka & K.D. Hyde, Index Fungorum 267: 1 (2015)

Synonymy: Lophiostoma caulium (Fr.) Ces. & De Not., Comm. Soc. crittog. Ital. 1(fasc. 4): 219 (1863)

Index Fungorum number: IF 551426; Facesofungi number: FoF ***

Description: taken from Ariyawansa et al. (2015).

Saprobic on Salvia. Sexual morph: Ascomata 190–210 μm high × 122–190 μm diam. (x̄ = 198 × 171 μm, n = 5), scattered to gregarious, semi-immersed to erumpent, dark brown to black, globose to subglobose, ostiolate. Ostiole 80–90 μm high, 83–110 μm diam. (x̄ = 84 × 95 μm, n = 5), slit like, with a small, to large, flat, crest-like apex, which is variable in shape; apex composed of pseudoparenchymatous cells. Peridium 19–23 μm thick at the sides, broad at the apex, thinner at the base, composed of 4–5 layers of brown to dark brown cells, arranged in a textura angularis, fusing at the outside with the host cells. Hamathecium of 1.5–2.5 μm diam., septate, long, anastomosing and branched, cellular pseudoparaphyses, embedded in gelatinous matrix. Asci 64–91 × 8–10 μm (x̄ = 82 × 9 μm, n = 30), 8-spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindrical to clavate, with furcate pedicel, rounded at the apex, with an ocular chamber. Ascospores 20–24 × 4–6 μm (x̄ = 22 × 5 μm, n = 30), uniseriate or overlapping biseriate, pale brown to dark brown, narrowly fusiform with acute ends, 3–5-septate, slightly constricted at each septum, with a distinct guttule in each cell, smooth-walled, with mucilaginous appendages, drawn out at the ends. Asexual morph: Coelomycetous. Conidiomata superficial, dark brown to black, globose, uniloculate, solitary to scattered. Pycnidial wall thick walled, multi-layered, with inner layer comprising several cell-layers, comprising brown-walled cells of textura angularis. No spores were produced.

Culture characteristics: Ascospores germinating on MEA within 36 h. Colonies growing on MEA, rather slow growing, reaching 0.2 mm diam. in 1 week at 28 °C. Mycelium superficial, felty, gummy, grey.

Material examined: ITALY, Province of Forlì-Cesena, Teodorano di Meldola, dead stem of Salvia sp. (Lamiaceae), 13 October 2013, E. Camporesi (MFLU 15-1074, reference specimen designate here); ex-type living culture, MFLUCC 15-0176, BIOTEC.

GenBank Numbers: LSU: KT328493, SSU: KT328494.