Alfaria poae J.M. Liang, G.S. Li & L. Cai

Liang, Junmin, Li, Guangshuo, Zhou, Shiyue, Zhao, Meiqi & Cai, Lei, 2019, Myrothecium-like new species from turfgrasses and associated rhizosphere, MycoKeys 51, pp. 29-53 : 29

Alfaria poae J.M. Liang, G.S. Li & L. Cai sp. nov. Fig. 5

Type.

China, Hainan Province, Haikou, isolated from leaves of Imperata cylindrica , 10 Mar 2018, J.M. Liang and L. Cai, holotype HMAS 247953, ex-holotype culture CGMCC3.19198 = LC12140.

Description.

Colonies on PDA, CMA and OA with white aerial mycelium, approx. 6-7 cm diam. after 7 d at 25 °C, giving rise to dark green or blank sporodochia scattered or gregarious on the surface, covered by olivaceous green pillars of conidia, reverse on PDA sienna. Hyphae hyaline, smooth, branched, 1-2 μm wide. Conidiomata synnematous, solitary, 60-250 μm high, 30-80 μm wide at the base, 60-150 μm at the apex, with setose hyphae surrounding a green agglutinated mass of conidia. Stroma well developed, hyaline, of textura angularis. Setae absent. Conidiophores arising from the basal stroma, branched, initially hyaline and becoming pigmented and verrucose with age covered by an olivaceous green mucoid layer, up to 30 µm long. Conidiogenous cell phialidic, clavate to cylindrical, hyaline, smooth, 5-10 × 1-2 µm, becoming pigmented and verrucose with age, with conspicuous collarettes and periclinal thickenings. Conidia aseptate, smooth, hyaline, ellipsoidal to fusiform, 6-8 × 2-3 µm (av. 7 ± 0.4 × 2 ± 0.2 µm, n = 50).

Distribution.

China.

Etymology.

Name refers the host, Poa sp., from which this fungus was isolated.

Additional isolate examined.

China, Hainan, from leaves of Imperata cylindrica , 10 Mar 2018, J.M. Liang & Lei Cai, LC12141, LC12142.

Notes.

Alfaria poae formed a well-supported clade in Alfaria (Fig. 1). Similar to Alf. ossiformis and Alf. terrestris , Alf. poae does not produce setae surrounding the sporodochia, distinguishing it from Alf. caricicola and Alf. thymi . Alfaria poae produces ellipsoidal to fusiform conidia, which are different from the ossiform conidia produced by Alf. ossiformis ( Lombard et al. 2016). The conidia of Alf. terrestris have basal hilum which was not observed in Alf. poae . In addition, Alf. poae shares morphological characters with several un-sequenced Myrothecium taxa, such as M. atrocarneum (Berkeley & Broom, 1877), M. conicum (Fuckel, 1870), M. ellipsosporum (Fuckel, 1866) and M. leucomelas ( Höhnel, 1925). Because the descriptions of M. atrocarneum , M. conicum and M. ellipsosporum were not elaborate enough, these old species are not distinct from Alf. poae yet. Future comparisons should be made when these old species are epitypified by fresh collections. Although M. leucomelas (host: Sumbaviae rotttleroidis ; location: Bulacan, Luzon) had a detailed description, it cannot be epitypified by Alf. Poae , because Alf. poae was collected from a distinct location and plant host. Taking the above special characters into account, we considered introducing a new species, Alfaria poae .