Neocercospora ammicola M. Bakhshi, Arzanlou

Bakhshi, Mounes, Arzanlou, Mahdi, Babai-Ahari, Asadollah, Groenewald, Johannes Z. & Crous, Pedro W., 2015, Is morphology in Cercospora a reliable reflection of generic affinity?, Phytotaxa 213 (1), pp. 22-34 : 28-30

Neocercospora ammicola M. Bakhshi, Arzanlou , Babai-ahari & Crous, sp. nov. ( Fig. 3 , 4 .) MycoBank MB 812288

Type:— IRAN. West Azerbaijan Province: Khoy, Firouragh, on leaves and stems of Ammi majus L. ( Apiaceae ), Sept. 2012, M. Arzanlou (holotype IRAN 16461 F, culture ex-type CCTU 1186 = CBS 136450).

Description in planta:— Foliicolous and caulicolous, phytopathogenic. Leaf spots amphigenous, circular to subcircular, 1–4 mm diam., brown, with raised, dark brown border. Mycelium internal. Stromata substomatal, weakly to moderately developed, brown, 5–18 μm diam. Caespituli amphigenous, punctiform, brown. Conidiophores aggregated in loose to moderately dense fascicles (1–12), arising from the upper cells of substomatal to intraepidermal brown stromata, up to 18 μm wide and 27 μm high, emerging through stomata or erumpent; conidiophores aseptate, reduced to conidiogenous cells. Conidiogenous cells unbranched, pale brown to brown, smooth, subcylindrical to cone-shaped, wider at the base, gradually becoming narrower towards the apex, occasionally geniculate-sinuous, (10–)14.5–17(–25) × 2.5–3.5(–4) μm, unilocal and multilocal, sympodial, subdenticulate; loci, conspicuous, thickened, darkened, somewhat refractive, apical or formed on shoulders caused by geniculation, 1–2.5 μm diam. Conidia solitary or catenate, in unbranched chains, hyaline, smooth, guttulate or not, cylindrical, subcylindrical to obclavate-cylindrical, straight to slightly curved, 1–10-septate, (15–)35–50(–110) × (2.5–)3–3.5(–4) μm, apex obtuse, base obconically truncate or truncate with slight basal taper to hilum, 1–2 μm diam., flattened, moderately thickened, darkened and somewhat refractive.

Description in vitro on MEA:— Mycelia consisting of hyaline, branched, septate, smooth hyphae, 2–6 μm diam, guttulate, gradually becoming pale to medium brown and somewhat verruculose at fertile regions. Conidiophores solitary or in loose fascicles, unbranched, pale brown, becoming darker towards the apex, semi - macronematous to macronematous, up to 85 μm tall, (3–)3.5–4(–5) μm wide, 0–6-septate, septa 10–20 μm apart (but not observed in planta), often reduced to solitary conidiogenous cells. Conidiogenous cells integrated, terminal or lateral or terminal on hyphae when 1-celled, medium brown to brown, (15–)20–25(–35) × 3–3.5(–4.5) μm, uni- and multilocal, sympodial, subdenticulate; loci moderately conspicuous, slightly thickened and darkened, somewhat refractive, apical or formed on shoulders caused by geniculation, 1–2.5 μm diam. Conidia solitary or catenate, in unbranched chains, hyaline, smooth, guttulate or not, cylindrical to subcylindrical, straight to gently curved, indistinctly 1–9-septate, (25–)45– 60(–95) × (2–)2.5–3(–4) μm; apex obtuse or subobtuse, base obconically truncate or truncate with slight basal taper to hilum; hila flattened, with marginal thickening along the rim, somewhat refractive, 1–2 μm diam.

Cultural characteristics: — Colonies on MEA after 20 days at 25ºC in the dark up to 35 mm diam., erumpent with smooth, uneven margins and moderate aerial mycelium; surface olivaceous black, reverse iron-grey. Habitat/Distribution:— Known to inhabit Ammi majus , West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. Etymology:— Named after the host genus from which it was isolated, Ammi . Other material examined:— IRAN. West Azerbaijan Province: Khoy, Firouragh, on Ammi majus, Sept. 2012 , M. Arzanlou (CCTU 1187).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Neocercospora ammicola (CBS 136450) (in vivo). a. Leaf spots on Ammi majus. b–f. Fasciculate conidiophores reduced to conidiogenous cells. g–m. Solitary and catenate conidia. Scale bars = 10 μm.

FIGURE 4. Neocercospora ammicola (CBS 136450) (in vitro). a. Colony on MEA. b–d. Conidiophores and conidiogenous cells. e. Terminal conidiophore on hypha. f. Conidiophore reduced to a conidiogenous cell. g–l. Solitary and catenate conidia. Scale bars = 10 μm.