Additions to Asterinaceous (Ascomycetes) fungi
in India
V.B. Hosagoudar1, A. Sabeena 2 & Sam P. Mathew 3
1,2,3 Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Palode, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695562, India
1 vbhosagoudar@rediffmail.com (corresponding author), 2 asabeenarasheed@gmail.com; 3 sampmatthew@rediffmail.com
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3228.3670-72
Editor: R.K. Verma,
Tropical Forest Research Institute, Jabalpur, India. Date of publication: 26 February 2013 (online & print)
Manuscript details: Ms #
o3228 | Received 31 May 2012 | Final received 13 November 2012 | Finally
accepted 02 February 2013
Citation: Hosagoudar, V.B., A.
Sabeena & S.P. Mathew (2013). Additions to asterinaceousfungi (Ascomycetes) in India. Journal of
Threatened Taxa 5(2): 3670–3672; doi:10.11609/JoTT.o3228.3670-72.
Copyright: © Hosagoudar et al. 2013.
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. JoTT allows unrestricted use of this article in any medium,
reproduction and distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and
the source of publication.
Funding: None.
Competing Interest: None.
Acknowledgements:We are grateful to Dr. P.G. Latha, Director, Jawaharlal
Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute,Palode for the facilities.
Asterinaceous fungi are commonly known as black
mildews and are characterized by their black colonies formed on green leaves,
produce thyriothecia, which dehisce either vertically
or stellately at the centre. These fungi are being extensively
studied in the tropics (Theissen 1913; Hansford 1946;
Müller & Arx 1962; Hosagoudar& Abraham 2000; Hofmann & Piepenbring 2008)
and this group has been revised by Hosagoudar(2012) for India.
Asterina arkemibeyi sp. nov.
(Fig. 1) (MycoBank # 802279)
Materials examined: Holotype:
TBGT 6003, 29.i.2012, on leaves of Flacourtia montana Graham (Flacourtiaceae), Kallara,
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India, coll. A. Sabeena.
Colonies hypophyllous,
thin to subdense, up to 2mm in diameter,
confluent. Hyphae flexuous,
branching opposite to alternate at acute to wide angles, loosely reticulate,
cells 16–27x3–4 µm. Appressoria unicellular, mostly alternate, often
sub-opposite to opposite, narrowly ovate, elongated, tubular, entire to sublobate, straight to variously curved,
6–13x3–5 µm. Thyriothecia scattered to connate, orbicular, up to 130µm
in diameter, margin crenate to fimbriate, stellately dehisced at the centre;asci, octosporous, globose, up to 30µm in diameter; ascospores,
conglobate, 1-septate, constricted at the septum, 17–20x7–10 µm,
wall smooth.
Hofmann & Piepenbring (2008) showed
the connection between Mahanteshamyces (Hosag.) and Asterina Lév. The former
genus is an anamorph of the latter. The present collection reveals both anamorph and teleomorph in the
same colonies, which supports and confirms the observations of Hofmann & Piepenbring (2008). The teleomorph belongs to the genus Asterina and differs from the all known Asterina species on the members of the family Flacourtiaceae in having ovate, elongated, tubular, entire to sublobate and straight to
variously curved appressoria (Hosagoudar& Abraham 2000; Hosagoudar 2012).
Etymology: This species is named in honour of
Prof. Richard K. Mibey, who contributed to this group
from Kenya.
Asterina derridicola sp. nov.
(Fig. 2) (MycoBank# 802280)
Materials examined: Holotype:
TBGT 6004, 21.iii.2012, on leaves of Derris sp. (Fabaceae),Chozhiyakode, Kollam, Kerala, India, coll. V.B. Hosagoudar et al. Isotype: TBGT 6006.
Colonies
epiphyllous, subdense to dense, up to 4mm in
diameter, confluent. Hyphae substraight to undulate, branching opposite to alternate at
acute to wide angles, loosely reticulate, cells 22–40x4–5 µm. Appressoria unicellular, alternate, globose to
ovate, entire, 7–12x7–10 µm. Thyriotheciascattered to connate, orbicular, up to 170µm in diameter, stellatelydehisced at the centre, margin crenate to fimbriate, fringed hyphae flexuous; asci globose, octosporous, up to
42µm in diameter; ascospores, oblong, conglobate,
1-septate, constricted at the septum, 30–35x12–15 µm, wall smooth.
Asterina derridis P. Henn.
(Theissen 1913), A. trachycarpa Syd. & P. Syd. (Sydow & Sydow 1912) and A.singaporensis Syd. & P. Syd. (Sydow & Sydow 1920) are known
species on Derris from Singapore and Philippines. However, the present species differs
from these in having epiphyllous colonies, ovate to globose appressoria and distinctly larger ascospores.
The specific epithet is based
on the host genus
Viegasia cissampeli (Hansf.)
Bat.
(Fig. 3)
Atas Inst. Micol. Univ.
Recife 1: 305, 1960.
Schneepia cissampeli Hansf., Proc. Linn. Soc. London 151:194, 1946.
Materials examined: 29.i.2012, on leaves of Cissampelos pareira L.
(Menispermaceae), Kallara,
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India, coll. A. SabeenaTBGT 6005.
Colonies epiphyllous, subdense to dense, up to 3 mm in diameter. Hyphae
crooked, branching irregular at acute angles, cells 16–27x2–3
µm. Appressoria rare, unicellular, globose, entire to sublobate,
5–6x5–8 µm. Thyriothecia connate, up to 140µm in diameter, dehisced
centrally; asci octosporous,globose, ovate, up to 20µm in diameter; ascospores, brown, conglobate, 1-septate, constricted at
the septum, 14–21x5–9 µm, wall slightly verrucose.
Closely scattered, orbicular thyriothecia, mycelium without appressoriabut are formed very rarely. Batista
(1951) proposed the genus Viegasia to
accommodate such fungi with V. cissampeli (Hansf.) Bat. as its type
species. However, the ascospores in the present collection are smaller
(14–21x5–9 vs. 21–25x11–14 µm) (Hansford 1946; Müller
& Arx 1962). The genus Viegasia is reported here for
the first time from India.
References
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