Sigarispora muriformis
Sigarispora muriformis Tibpromma, Camporesi & K.D. Hyde, in Tibpromma et al., Fungal Diversity 83: 37 (2017)
Index Fungorum number: IF 552696; Facesofungi number: FoF 2781
Etymology: refers to the muriform ascospores
Holotype: MFLU 14-0676
Saprobic on dead stem of Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G. Don fil. Sexual morph: Ascomata 425–660 μm high (including ostiole) 9 335–560 μm diam. (x̄ = 506 × 460 μm, n = 10), semi-immersed on host tissue, solitary, scattered, globose to subglobose, conspicuous at the surface, papillate, carbonaceous. Ostioles central, lacking periphyses in ostiole canal, dark, dull. Peridium 25–47 μm wide, coriaceous to carbonaceous, comprising an outer stratum of thick-walled and black cells arranged in a textura angularis and fusing with host cells, and inner layer of hyaline cells of textura angularis. Hamathecium of 1.9–3.2 μm wide, cylindrical, septate, branched, guttulate, cellular pseudoparaphyses. Asci 84–130 × 12–18 μm (x̄ = 104 × 15 μm, n = 10), 8-spored, bitunicate, cylindric-clavate, slightly curved, long pedicellate, with apex rounded, with a minute ocular chamber. Ascospores 18–28 × 7–12 μm (x̄ = 24 × 9 μm, n = 20), overlapping 2–3-seriate, muriform, ellipsoidal, hyaline then become reddish–brown with age, with 5–8 transverse septa and 2–3 longitudinal septa, guttulate, constricted at the centre septum, conical at the ends, smooth-walled, lacking a mucilaginous sheath. Asexual morph: Undetermined.
Culture characteristics: Colonies on MEA reaching 8 cm diam., after 7 days in the dark at 16 °C, surface darkbrown, spreading with moderate aerial mycelium, and even, margins smooth; reverse dark.
Material examined: ITALY, Forlı`-Cesena Province, near Premilcuore, on dead stem of Helichrysum italicum (Asteraceae), 24 May 2013, Erio Camporesi, IT1302 (MFLU 14-0676, holotype); ex-type living culture, MFLUCC 13-0744); Ibid. (HKAS 94549 bis, paratype).
GenBank Numbers LSU:KY496719, ITS:KY496740, SSU:KY501110
Notes: The new species clearly differs from other Sigarispora species in having semi-immersed ascomata, cylindric-clavate asci and ellipsoidal, muriform ascospores, with 5–8 transverse septa and 2–3 longitudinal septa. This species separates from other Sigarispora species in the phylogenetic analyses (Tibpromma et al. 2017). Sigarispora coronillae and S. muriformis have muriform ascospores, but S. coronillae differs from S. muriformis in having brown to dark brown ascospores with 4–6 transverse septa and 2–4 longitudinal septa (Thambugala et al. 2015).
Figure x. Sigarispora muriformis (MFLUCC 13-0744, holotype). a Appearance of papilla of erumpent ascomata on host substrate. b Section of ascoma. c Section of peridium. d Pseudoparaphyses. e–g Asci. h–k Ascospores. l Germinated ascospore. Scale bars a, b = 200 μm, c, d = 5 μm, e–h = 10 μm, f, g = 20 μm, h–l = 10 μm.
References:
Thambugala KM, Hyde KD, Tanaka K, Tian Q et al. 2015 – Towards a natural classification and backbone tree for Lophiostomataceae, Floricolaceae, and Amorosiaceae fam. nov. Fungal Diversity 74, 199–266.
Tibpromma S, Hyde KD, Jeewon R, Maharachchikumbura SS et al. 2017 – Fungal diversity notes 491–602: taxonomic and phylogenetic contributions to fungal taxa. Fungal diversity 83, 1-261.
Last update: 18 June 2021