Curvularia verruculosa Tandon & Bilgrami ex M.B. Ellis, Mycol. Pap.

- Yan, Hong, Udayanga, Dhanushka, Luo, Zong-Long, Manamgoda, Dimuthu S., Zhao, Yong-Chang, Yang, Jing, Liu, Xiao-Ying, Mckenzie, Eric H. C., Zhou, De-Qun & Hyde, Kevin D., 2015, Hyphomycetes from aquatic habitats in Southern China: Species of Curvularia (Pleosporaceae) and Phragmocephala (Melannomataceae), Phytotaxa 226 (3), pp. 201-216 : 207-209

Curvularia verruculosa Tandon & Bilgrami ex M.B. Ellis, Mycol. Pap. 106: 20 (1966)

Facesoffungi number: FOF 00571, Fig 4

= Pseudocochliobolus verruculosus Tsuda & Ueyama, Mycologia 74(4): 565 (1982) ≡ Cochliobolus verruculosus (Tsuda & Ueyama) Sivan., Bitunicate Ascomycetes and their Anamorphs: 366 (1984)

Colonies on PDA superficial, effuse, scattered, dark brown, powdery. Hyphae smooth, subhyaline, septate, branched. Conidiophores mononematous, macronematous, septate, simple or rarely branched, stright or curved, geniculate near the apex, pale brown, 7–10-septate, nodose, 126–202 μm (x=164 μm, SD=38 μm, n=10) long, 5–7 μm (x=6 μm, SD=1μm, n=10) wide. Conidiogenous cells terminal or intercalary, polytretic, sympodial, light brown, Conidia straight, ellipsoidal or curved, 3-distoseptate, rounded at both ends; with third cell larger than other cells, distinctly verruculose, 23–29μm (x=26 μm, SD=3 μm, n=45) long, 12–16 μm (x=14 μm, SD=2 μm, n=45) wide, pale to dark brown; occasionally apical and basal cells are paler than middle cells.

Type:— INDIA. on Cycas rumphii , 2 June 1960, R. N. Tandon (lectotype designated in Ellis (1966), IMI 80893). INDIA. on leaf of Punica granatum , October 1963, K. S. Bilgrami ( CBS H-11410, epitype designated here, IF551030), living culture CBS 150.63!.

Additional material examined:— CHINA. Yunnan Province: Canshang Mountain, on decaying wood submerged in a stream, June 2014, Zonglong Luo HDBSX 28-1( S- 112), HKAS 84009!, living culture MFLUCC 15-0020.

Notes: Based on a megablast search of GenBank, the closest hits of the ITS sequences are Curvularia strain NF 4 (GenBank KJ606685; Identities = 500/501(99%)), Curvularia verruculosa isolate UM 248 (GenBank JX966629; Identities = 500/501(99%)) and Cochliobolus verruculosus (GenBank HE861830; 500/501(99%)). The verruculose or rough conidia and the larger third cell are characteristic features of Curvularia verruculosa . Tsuda and Uyma (1982) obtained the sexual morph of this species pairing the compatible conidial strains. The sexual morph of C. verruculosa has filamentous ascospores that lie parallel or loosely coiled in the asci ( Sivanesan 1987). Tandon and Bilgrami (1962) did not designate a type specimen, however Ellis (1966), designated a lectotype using one from the type collections to validate the name. One specific host is not indicated in any of the above publications, therefore this taxon is recognised as a species found from a wide range of hosts. The isolate of C. verruculosa ( CBS 150.63) and the specimen ( CBS H-11410), is presumed to be from a collection by K. S. Bilgrami, who co-authored the species, but is from a different host. It is designated as an epitype specimen. The species is reported from a wide range of poaceous hosts including Buchloe , Chloris , Oryza , Paspalum , Pennisetum , Punica , Sorghum , Triticum , Typha , Zea and many dicotyledonous hosts and other substrata in the tropics ( Ellis 1966). Therefore, this species may be introduced from the riparian environment as a secondary invader on decaying wood in to aquatic habitats.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Curvularia verruculosa a. synnemata on wood; b–c. conidia and conidiophores; d. conidiogenous cells; e–l. conidia; m. germinating conidium; n. surface view of cultures on PDA; o. reverse view of cultures on PDA. Scale bars: b = 50 μm, c = 40 μm, d = 20 μm, e–l = 10 μm, m = 20 μm.