Sporisorium sahayae (Mundk.) Vánky

Denchev, Teodor T., Sun, Hang, Denchev, Cvetomir M. & Boufford, David E., 2016, A new smut fungus on a new grass: Sporisorium capillipedii-alpini (Ustilaginales) sp. nov. infecting Capillipedium alpinum (Poaceae) sp. nov., from Sichuan, China, Phytotaxa 252 (3), pp. 217-227 : 224

Sporisorium sahayae (Mundk.) Vánky , Fungal Diversity 15: 237, 2004 (as S. sahayai ). (Figs 16–19)

Basionym: Sphacelotheca sahayae Mundk., Trans. Brit. Mycol. Soc. 23: 93, 1938 (as S. sahayai ).

Type: —On Dichanthium annulatum ( Poaceae ). INDIA. Ganjam District: at Chatrapur, 30 August 1904, leg. E. J. Butler (holotype, HCIO 7333; isotypes, IMI, H. U. V. 17 303!).

Sori in all spikelets (sterile and fertile) of the inflorescence, 1.5–2.5 mm long, ovoid or ellipsoidal, at first concealed by the glumes, later partially visible between the spreading glumes; initially covered by a thin, fragile, yellow-brown peridium that soon ruptures irregularly exposing a single, stout, slightly tapering, not branching columella, rarely with few shallow longitudinal furrows, surrounded by a semi agglutinated, pulverulent at maturity, blackish brown mass of spores and sterile cells. Sterile cells rather tightly packed in irregular groups or short rows, single sterile cells not seen, collapsed, 7–13(–16) μm long, hyaline; wall 0.6–1.2(–2.5) μm thick, smooth. Spores slightly irregular, subglobose, broadly ellipsoidal, globose, ovoid or sometimes ellipsoidal, (9.5–)10–13(–14) × (8.5–)9–11.5(–12.5) (11.4 ± 0.7 × 10.3 ± 0.7) μm (n/ 1 = 100), medium reddish brown; wall slightly uneven, 0.7–1.4(–1.7) μm thick, moderately echinulate, spore profile affected. In SEM spines up to 0.4(–0.6) μm high, densely packed, punctate between the spines.

Specimen examined: — Isotype ( H. U. V. 17 303).

Known host and distribution: —On Poaceae : Dichanthium annulatum (Forssk.) Stapf , Dichanthium sericeum (R. Br.) A. Camus (incl. Dichanthium affine (R. Br.) A. Camus ). Asia ( India), Australia.