Italica achilleae
Italica achilleae Wanas., Camporesi, E.B.G. Jones & K.D. Hyde, in Wanasinghe et al., Fungal Diversity: 10.1007/s13225-018-0395-7, [125] (2018)
Index Fungorum number: IF 554184; Facesofungi number: FoF 04025
Etymology: The specific epithet reflects the host genus Achillea.
Holotype: MFLU 16-0197.
Saprobic on Achillea millefolium. Sexual morph: Ascomata 200–250 μm high, 150–200 μm diam. (x̄ = 218 × 188.6 μm, n = 5), immersed to erumpent, solitary, scattered, globose or subglobose, dark brown to black, coriaceous, ostiolate. Ostiole 40–60 μm long and 50–70 μm wide, papillate, eccentric, blackish brown, smooth, comprising hyaline to pale-brown cells. Peridium 5–10 μm wide at the base, 15–20 μm wide at the sides, comprising thin-walled, brown to dark brown cells of textura prismatica to textura angularis. Hamathecium comprising numerous, 2–3 μm wide, filamentous, branched, septate, pseudoparaphyses. Asci 80–90 × 11–14 μm (x̄ = 84.5 × 12.2 μm, n = 20), 8-spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindrical to cylindric-clavate, short pedicellate, thick-walled at the apex, with minute ocular chamber. Ascospores 16–19 × 6–7 μm (x̄ = 17.3 × 6.3 μm, n = 30), overlapping uniseriate to biseriate, ellipsoidal to subcylindrical, muriform, 5–6-transversely septate, with 1 vertical septum, rarely 2 vertical septa, widest at the middle, slightly constricted at the central septum, initially hyaline, becoming yellowish-brown at maturity, with rounded ends. Asexual morph: Undetermined.
Material examined: ITALY, Province of Forli-Cesena [FC], Fiumicello di Premilcuore, on dead aerial stems of Achillea millefolium L. (Asteraceae), 21 May 2014, Erio Camporesi IT 1883 (MFLU 16-0197, holotype); ex-type living culture, MFLUCC 14-0959.
GenBank Numbers: ITS: MG828903, LSU: MG829013, SSU: MG829122, TEF: MG829204, RPB2: MG829255.
Notes: Italica achilleae and I. luzulae are similar in ascomata characters and with muriform ascospores. They differ as Italica achilleae has cylindrical to cylindric-clavate asci with sub-cylindrical ascospores, while I. luzulae has clavate asci and oval ascospores.
Figure x. Italica achilleae (MFLU 16-0197, holotype). a, b Ascomata on host substrate. c Section of ascomata. d Close up of ostiole. e, f Peridium. g Pseudoparaphyses. h–j Asci. k–p Ascospores. Scale bars: a = 1 mm, b = 200 μm, c = 100 μm, f, g, k–p = 10 μm, h–j = 20 μm.
References:
Wanasinghe DN, Phukhamsakda C, Hyde KD, Jeewon R et al. 2018 – Fungal diversity notes 709–839: taxonomic and phylogenetic contributions to fungal taxa with an emphasis on fungi on Rosaceae. Fungal diversity 89, 1–236.