Shiraia bambusicola Henn., Bot. Jb. 28(3): 274 (1900)

Dai, Dong-Qin, Wijayawardene, Nalin N., Tang, Li-Zhou, Liu, Chao, Han, Li-Hong, Chu, Hong-Long, Wang, Hai-Bo, Liao, Chun-Fang, Yang, Er-Fu, Xu, Rui-Fang, Li, Yun-Min, Hyde, Kevin D., Bhat, D. Jayarama & Cannon, Paul F., 2019, Rubroshiraia gen. nov., a second hypocrellin-producing genus in Shiraiaceae (Pleosporales), MycoKeys 58, pp. 1-26 : 1

Shiraia bambusicola Henn., Bot. Jb. 28(3): 274 (1900) Fig. 6

Description.

Parasitic on living branches of bamboo. Sexual morph: Ascostromata 1-6 cm long × 1-4 cm wide, solitary, superficial, subglobose, long ellipsoid to irregular, tuberculate, fleshy, white to pinkish, with locules lining the periphery, with dark ostiolate points appearing on surface. Ascostromatic tissue thick, pinkish, composed of wide, woven hyphae of textura intricata. Locules in vertical section 370-700 µm high × 370-700 µm diam. (x̄ = 541 × 513 µm, n = 20), globose to subglobose, immersed in the peripheral layer of ascostromata, with 100-200 µm wide ostioles. Peridium 20-45 µm thick, composed of several layers of hyaline to light brown, small cells of textura angularis to textura intricata. Hamathecium composed of interthecial, hyaline septate, branched pseudoparaphyses, 1-2.5 µm wide. Asci 200-370 × 20-35 µm (x̄ = 291.6 × 26.6 µm, n = 20), 4-6-spored, thick-walled, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindrical, short-pedicellate, with an ocular chamber. Ascospores 50-77 × 15-24 µm (x̄ = 62.3 × 18.1 µm, n = 20), 1-seriate, overlapped, fusiform, muriform, hyaline, with 7 transverse septa, constricted at the septum, smooth-walled. Asexual morph: Conidiomata 200-500 µm high, 300-400 µm wide, loculate, forming within ascostromata, globose to subglobose or irregular. Wall of locules 20-40 µm thick, composed of several layers of hyaline to light brown, small cells of textura intricata. Conidiophores reduced to conidiogenous cells. Conidiogenous cells 3-6 × 2-3 µm (x̄ = 4.7 × 2.1 µm, n = 10), blastic, cylindrical, hyaline, smooth-walled. Conidia 60-80 × 19-25 µm (x̄ = 75.4 × 23.1 µm, n = 20), fusiform, muriform, hyaline, with irregularly transverse and longitudinal septa, straight to curved, smooth-walled.

Culture characters.

Colonies growing slowly, attaining 30 mm diam. after 2 weeks at 27 °C under dark, circular, with even margin, floccose at the centre, drift white at margin, light greenish at centre, dark from below.

Material examined.

CHINA, Yunnan province, Lijiang, on living branches of Brachystachyum densiflorum (Rendle) Keng, 3 May 2017, Dong-Qin Dai, DDQ00409 (HKAS102253), Ibid. (duplicate specimen deposited in HMAS 290446), Ibid. DDQ00410 (HKAS102254), Ibid. DDQ00413 (HKAS102257), Ibid. 10 June 2017, Dong-Qin Dai, DDQ00418 (HKAS102261), Ibid. DDQ00419 (HKAS102262), Ibid. DDQ00420 (HKAS102263), Ibid. DDQ00421 (HKAS102264), Ibid. DDQ00422 (HKAS102265), Ibid. DDQ00423 (HKAS102266), Ibid. DDQ00424 (HKAS102267).

Notes.

Shiraia bambusicola was erected by Hennings (1900), based on a collection from Japan. Liu et al. (2013) re-examined the holotype with 1-2.5 cm wide ascostromata, which is smaller than the new collections (1-4 cm wide in ascostromata) in China. The holotype has large ascospores compared with the new specimens in this study (75-125 × 23-47 µm vs. 50-77 × 15-24 µm). The epitype designated by Liu et al. (2013) which has similar-sized (50-77 × 15-24 µm) ascospores and similar ITS sequence, as in our new collections.

Other genera included

Figures

Figure 6. Shiraia bambusicola A-J sexual morph A fruiting bodies (HKAS 102253, HKAS 102254, HKAS 102257, HKAS 102261, HKAS 102262) B-J photographs from material HKAS 102253 B Surface of ascostromata showing the dark openings of ostiole C vertical section of ascostromata D vertical section of locule E pseudoparaphyses F, G asci (G Showing the fissitunicate asci) H-J ascospores K-M asexual morph K vertical section of asexual locules L-M conidia. Scale bars: 2 cm (A), 5 mm (B), 1 mm (C), 100 μm (D, K), 50 μm (F, G), 20 μm (H-J, L, M).