Shiraiaceae Liu YX, Liu ZY & K.D. Hyde, 2013

Liu, Yong-Xiang, Li, Wen-Jing, Zhou, De-Qun, Yang, You-Lian, Chen, Yi-Meng & Liu, Zuo-Yi, 2013, Shiraiaceae, new family of Pleosporales (Dothideomycetes, Ascomycota), Phytotaxa 103 (1), pp. 51-60 : 53-54

Shiraiaceae Liu YX, Liu ZY & K.D. Hyde , fam. nov. MycoBank: MB: 803884

Family type: Shiraia Henn., Engl. Bot. Jahrb. 28: 274 (1900)

Differs from other families in Pleosporales in being endophytic or parasitic forming large fleshy ascostromata on bamboo with sexual locules lining the periphery and asexual locules in the centre. Bitunicate asci are 6-spored and ascospores are muriform.

Endophytic or parasitic on bamboo. Ascostromata forming near ends of host branches, near petiole bases, superficial, pinkish, irregular, tuberculate, fleshy, ascostromata comprising cells of textura intricata, easily peeling off host tissues without damage. Locules immersed, arranged in a peripheral layer, subsphaerical or ellipsoidal, ostiolate. Peridium of locules comprising a single layer of light brown-walled cells. Hamathecium comprising relatively narrow, numerous, cellular pseudoparaphyses. Asci containing 6 ascospores, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindrical, with a long pedicel and a distinct ocular chamber. Ascospores uniseriate, fusiform, symmetrical, hyaline to light brown, muriform. Asexual state forming in young ascostromata. Locules immersed, arranged in rows or irregularly in ascostromata, cylindrical, ampulliform, globose, subglobose or irregular, lining comprising thick-walled cells of textura angularis. Conidiophores reduced to conidiogenous cells, arising all around the basal region of the locules. Conidiogenous cells holoblastic, unbranched, discrete, indeterminate, cylindrical, septate, hyaline, smooth. Conidia fusiform, muriform, asymmetrical, hyaline to light brown, with irregularly arranged transverse and longitudinal septa, acute at base, apex obtuse, or obtuse at both ends, thick-walled, smooth.

Notes: This unusual Dothideomycete is introduced as a new family based on is unique morphology and distinct separation from Phaeosphaeriaceae using nrLSU sequence data. The family is parasitic on bamboo and produces pinkish ascostromata containing numerous locules arranged in an outer layer, and bitunicate asci with six symmetrical, muriform ascospores. The asexual state is produced in immature ascostromata and forms hyaline muriform, but asymmetrical conidia. Morakotkarn et al. (2008) isolated seven Shiraia -like strains as endophytes from bamboo in Japan. One taxon produced a coelomycetous anamorph in culture with phialidic, ampulliform, conidiophores and small, cylindrical to ellipsoidal, aseptate, hyaline conidia.