Balaniopsis kirkii Whitton, McKenzie & K.D. Hyde, Mycoscience

Monteiro, Josiane Santana, Carmo, Luana Teixeira Do & Sotão, Helen Maria Pontes, 2017, A new species of Bhatia (asexual ascomycetes) and new records from Brazil, Phytotaxa 331 (2), pp. 263-272 : 266-267

Balaniopsis kirkii Whitton, McKenzie & K.D. Hyde, Mycoscience 43(1): 72 (2002). ( Figure 3 , a–d)

Conidiophores macronematous, mononematous, solitary, simple, erect, straight or slightly flexuous, cylindrical, septate, smooth, brown to dark brown, 220‒287.5 × 6‒7.5 μm, rarely with one percurrent extension. Conidiogenous cells polyblastic, integrated, terminal, triangular to broadly obovoid, smooth, dark brown to black, 15‒21.5 × 11‒16.5 μm; 4‒7-denticulate, denticles cylindrical to slightly conical, pale brown, 5‒8 × 2‒3 μm. Seccession rhexolytic. Conidia solitary, unicelular, obovoid, apex broadly rounded, smooth, dark brown, 11‒12 × 8‒9.5 μm, with a basal frill.

Material examined:— BRAZIL. Amapá: Ferreira Gomes, FLONA of Amapá, on decaying leaflets of Attalea sp. , 14 July 2009, J. S. Monteiro ( MG 224313).

Known distribution: — Australia ( Whitton et al. 2002), Brazil (this paper), Kenya ( Kirk 1985).

Notes: — Balaniopsis P.M. Kirk includes four described species: B. Africana (Kiffer) P.M. Kirk , B. dendoidea Whitton, McKenzie & K.D. Hyde , B. kirkii and B. triangularis D. W. Li & W.B. Kendr. , which can be differentiated by the morphology of their conidiophores and conidia ( Whitton et al. 2002, Li et al. 2008). These species occur on leaves and wood in terrestrial environments and are restricted to a few countries in North America ( Canada, USA),

Asia ( Brunei), Africa ( Congo, Kenya, Seychelles), Oceania ( Australia) and Europe ( Hungary) ( Farr & Rossman 2017). Balaniopsis kirkii is most similar to B. africana , but the latter presents conidiophores with a light-dark-light pigmentation pattern that differs from the uniformly pigmented conidiophores of B. kirkii , as well as differences in the conidial form (obovoid and triangular, respectively) ( Whitton et al. 2002). The dimensions of the conidiophores and denticles of the analyzed material were larger than those described by Kirk (1985, as Balanium africanum Kiffer ) and Whitton et al. (2002), while the conidia were smaller in relation to the Australian holotype (12.8–14.5 × 9.5–11 μm). Despite these differences, the other characteristics of the specimens are in accordance with the description of Whitton et al. (2002). To date, this species has been recorded only in rachises of Cyathea sp. ( Cyatheaceae ), leaves of Pandanus monticola F. Muell. ( Pandanaceae ) and, in this study, in leaflets of Attalea sp. ( Arecaceae ).

Figures

FIGURE 3. a-d. Balaniopsis kirkii. a. Conidia; b. Upper view of conidiogenous cell; c. Conidiophores and conidiogenous cells with denticles (arrow); d. Detail of conidiophore with percurrent extension bearing a conidiogenous cells. e. Conidia of Cirrenalia donnae. f. Conidia of Dictyosporium pandani. Scale bars: a, b, f = 10 μm. c-e = 20 μm.