Ophiobolus italicus
Ophiobolus italicus (Tibpromma, Camporesi & K.D. Hyde) Phookamsak, Wanas. & K.D. Hyde, in Phookamsak, Wanasinghe, Hongsanan, Phukhamsakda, Huang, Tennakoon, Norphanphoun, Camporesi, Bulgakov, Promputtha, Mortimer, Xu & Hyde, Fungal Diversity 87: 312 (2017)
=Entodesmium italica Tibpromma, Camporesi & K.D. Hyde, in Tibpromma et al., Fungal Diversity 83: 87 (2017)
Index Fungorum number: IF 553915; Facesofungi number: FoF 2788
Etymology: refers to the country where the fungus was collected.
Holotype: MFLU 14-0716
Saprobic on decaying plant stems of Lathyrus sp. Sexual morph: Ascomata 256–289 μm high, 176–201 μm diam. (x̄ = 266 × 190 μm, n = 5), immersed to semi-immersed, scattered beneath the host periderm or on decorticated wood, visible as small black dots on the host surface, ampulliform, solitary, with central, shiny ostiole. Ostioles central, long, inconspicuous at the surface. Peridium 25–32 lm wide, comprising 3–5 layers, of dark brown cells of textura angularis. Hamathecium comprising numerous, 0.9–3.7 μm wide, filamentous, unbranched, cellular, guttulate pseudoparaphyses. Asci 72–98 × 9–10 μm (x = 89 × 10 μm, n = 10), 8-spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindric-clavate, with long, club-shaped pedicel. Ascospores 24–30 × 4–5 μm (x = 267 × 4 μm, n = 15), overlapping biseriate, yellow-green, usually 4-septate, constricted or not at the septum, conical at the ends, guttulate, smooth-walled, not separating at the septa, lacking a mucilaginous sheath. Asexual morph: Undetermined.
Culture characteristics: Colonies on MEA reaching 3–4 cm diam., after 7 days in the dark at 18 °C, yellowish, irregular, flattened to slightly raised, with rough surface, fairly fluffy, not producing pigment in agar.
Material examined: ITALY, Province of Arezzo, Poppi, on dead stem of Lathyrus sp. (Fabaceae), 14 May 2014, Erio Camporesi, IT1875 (MFLU 14-0716, holotype); living culture, MFLUCC 14-0526; (HKAS 94588 bis, paratype).
GenBank Numbers LSU:KY496727, ITS:KY496747, RPB2:KY514406, TEF1:KY514395.
Notes: Molecular analysis indicates that the new species belongs in the genus Entodesmium in the Phaeosphaeriaceae clade and clusters with E. rude (type). Entodesmium rude differs in having longer filiform ascospores that break into part spores (Shoemaker 1984, Phookamsak et al. 2014) (taken from Tibpromma et al. 2017). See Phookamsak et al. (2017) for Ophiobolus italicus com. nov.
Figure x. Ophiobolus italicus (Entodesmium italica (MFLU 14-0716, holotype). a Fruiting bodies on host surface. b Section through ascoma. c Section through papilla. d Section through peridium. e Pseudoparaphyses. f–h Asci. i–k Ascospores. l Germinated ascospore. Scale bars a = 100 μm, b, c = 50 μm, d = 5 μm, e = 5 μm, f–h = 20 μm, i–l = 10 μm.
References:
Phookamsak R, Wanasinghe DN, Hongsanan S, Phukhamsakda C et al. 2017 – Towards a natural classification of Ophiobolus and ophiobolus-like taxa; introducing three novel genera Ophiobolopsis, Paraophiobolus and Pseudoophiobolus in Phaeosphaeriaceae (Pleosporales). Fungal Diversity. 87, 299–339.
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: 30 Oct 2021