Tatraea aseptata H.L. Su & Q. Zhao

Li, Cui-Jin-Yi, Thilini Chethana, Kandawatte Wedaralalage, Eungwanichayapant, Prapassorn Damrongkool, Zhou, De-Qun & Zhao, Qi, 2024, Additional four species of Tatraea (Leotiomycetes, Helotiales) in Yunnan Province, China, MycoKeys 102, pp. 127-154 : 127

Tatraea aseptata H.L. Su & Q. Zhao

Fig. 4

Type material.

Holotype. HKAS 124623.

Description.

Saprobic on the decayed branches of oak trees. Sexual morph: Apothecia 2.5-4.7 mm wide (x̄ = 3.3 ± 0.5 mm, n = 27) when fresh, 1-2.4 mm wide × 0.6-1.2 mm high (x̄ = 1.6 ± 0.3 × 0.9 ± 0.1 mm, n = 28) when dry, scattered or gregarious, superficial, discoid with glabrous, short stipe. Disc flat and circular, light brown (7D5-7D6) in wet habitat, slightly dark alabaster grey (5B2) in slightly dried habitat when fresh, edge undulating and slightly curl inward towards the disc, dark brown (8F5-8F6) to dull green (30E4) or greyish green (30E5) when dry, sometimes orange white to pale greenish white (29A2) or dull yellow (3B4) to greyish yellow (3B5-3B6) near center. Margins white when immature and fresh, concolorous to the disc when mature and fresh, white to pale yellow or concolorous to the receptacles when dry. Receptacle smooth and brown (6D7-6D8) when fresh, yellowish brown (5E5-5E6), flank darker when dry, rough and fine pustules on the surface. Stipe 280-725 μm wide × 340-735 μm long (x̄ = 500 ± 148 × 540 ± 125 μm, n = 11), short, broad at upside part, narrower at lower part, golden brown (5D7) when fresh, light brown when dry, finely granular pustules, ridged at maturity. Hymenium 142-190 μm (x̄ = 160 ± 14 μm, n = 15), hyaline. Subhymenium 35-52 μm (x̄ = 44 ± 4 μm, n = 25), dense brown hyphae forming a textura intricata, hyphae 3.4-4.3 μm (x̄ = 3.8 ± 0.3 μm, n = 25) diam., gather with excipulum at the margin. Medullary excipulum 120-145 μm (x̄ = 133 ± 7 μm, n = 15), thick, well-developed, comprised of thin-walled, septate, pale brown and slightly loose hyphae of textura intricata, hyphae 4.3-7.4 μm (x̄ = 6.0 ± 0.8 μm, n = 25) diam., hyaline, becoming dense and well-organized, parallel near to the ectal excipulum, non-gelatinous. Ectal excipulum visible, different from the medullary excipulum, the inner layers generally consists of 3-4 layers textura globulosa to textura angularis cells, 30-48 μm (x̄ = 38 ± 4 μm, n = 35) thick, moderately thick-walled, cells 8.4-16.5 μm (x̄ = 13.0 ± 1.9 μm, n = 50) diam., wall 0.63-1.54 μm (x̄ = 1.01 ± 0.18 μm, n = 70) thick; the outer layers partially uneven proliferous to 8-12 layers, stack into triangles to trapezoids, 50-89 μm (x̄ = 69 ± 9 μm, n = 60) thick (including the inner layers), cells 3-11 μm (x̄ = 8 ± 1.7 μm, n = 75) diam., wall 0.6-1.7 μm (x̄ = 0.95 ± 0.21 μm, n = 65) thick; cells from the outer to the inner layers gradually increase in diameter, brown to colorless; terminal cells of 3-4 layers at flank stretch to 13.1-15.3 μm long × 2.6-3.8 μm wide (x̄ = 14.1 ± 0.8 × 3.3 ± 0.5 mm, n = 10), straight, ends narrow and slightly sharp, thin-walled, brown. Paraphyses 1.9-3.7 μm (x̄ = 2.6 ± 0.4 μm, n = 50) wide, hyaline, filiform, rounded apex, 0-2-septate, unbranched, with conspicuous lipid bodies, scarcely extending beyond the asci. Asci (132-)136.7-157.8(-172) × (12.5-)13.2-16.0(-17.3) μm (x̄ = 148.2 ± 7.8 × 14.5 ± 1.0 μm, n = 40), unitunicate, 8-spored, almost filling the whole asci, clavate, slightly curved, apically rounded with an amyloid apical pore in Melzer’s reagent, an incrassated wall at apex, 7.4-11.1 μm wide × 3.7-6.1 μm high (x̄ = 9.0 ± 0.7 × 4.8 ± 0.5 μm, n = 40), slightly constricted downward, tapering to obconical or short subtruncated base, sometimes not obvious, croziers present. Ascospore (21.8-)24.6-31.6(-33.7) × (7.6-)7.8-10.0(-10.8) μm (x̄ = 27.4 ± 2.3 × 8.8 ± 0.7 μm, n = 80), Q = (2.3-)2.5-3.7(-4.0), Qm = 3.1 ± 0.3, overlapping uniseriate, slightly asymmetrical, reniform with a large guttule and several multiple granules, obtusely rounded at the apex, slightly pointed at the base, hyaline, thin-walled, smooth and aseptate. Asexual morph: Undetermined.

Material examined.

China, Yunnan Province, Puer City , Jingdong County, altitude 2455 m, on the decayed oak tree twig, 23 August 2022, Cuijinyi Li, LCJY-1221 (HKAS 128274) ; ibid., Ailao Mountain , altitude 2520 m, on mossy, decaying unknown wood, 9 June 2022, Cuijinyi Li, LCJY-743 (HKAS 128271) ; ibid., Kunming City, Panlong District , altitude 1920 m, on the decayed oak tree twig, 25 May 2022, Cuijinyi Li, LCJY-477 (HKAS 128265) ; ibid., Yuxi City , Xinping County, altitude 1920 m, on soft decayed unknown wood, 5 June 2022, Cuijinyi Li, LCJY-601 (HKAS 128269) .

Notes.

Our collections are clustered with T. aseptata H.L. Su & Q. Zhao with 100% ML bootstrap support and 1.0 Bayesian probability. Fruiting bodies are mostly founded on decayed oak tree branches and share similar characteristics with T. aseptata by having fresh apothecia of similar size, brown receptacles when dry and the same reniform ascospores. In contrast, our collection also showed differences in their outer ectal excipulum comprising 8-12 layers of uneven proliferous cells with no hairs, thinner medullary excipulum and shorter asci (136.7-157.8 μm vs. 150-185 μm).

Figures

Figure 4. Tatraea aseptata (HKAS 128275) a-c Fresh ascomata on the wood d-g dried ascomata on the wood h vertical section of an ascoma i-j excipulum k paraphyses l-p asci (o-p asci in Meltzer's reagent) q-v ascospores. Scale bars: 1.5 mm (d); 400 μm (e); 800 μm (f-g); 1000 μm (h); 200 μm (i); 100 μm (j); 70 μm (k-p); 15 μm (q-v).