Asterina indecora Syd.

Firmino, André L., Vélez-Zambrano, Sergio M., Barreto, Robert W. & Dianese, José C., 2019, Fungi from the “ Lost World ”: Novel Asterinaceae from the Ricardo Franco Hills (Brazil), with a worldwide key to Lembosia species on Melastomataceae, Phytotaxa 409 (3), pp. 129-145 : 137-142

Asterina indecora Syd. Fig. 4 (A–F)

IndexFungorum 267816 Specimen examined: BRAZIL, Mato Grosso, Vila Bela da Santíssima Trinidade, Serra Ricardo Franco State Park, on the way to Cachoeira dos Namorados, - 14.953 S, - 60.092 W, on leaves of Heteropterys nervosa ( Malpighiaceae ), 19 Feb 2014. William Rosa de Oliveira

Soares 118, UB (Mycol. Coll.) 22733.

Sexual morph: Colonies up to 8 mm diam, epiphytic, amphigenous, circular to irregular, single to confluent, black. Hyphae 3–5 μm diam, straight to slightly flexuous, branching irregularly, dark brown, septate; hyphal cells cylindrical, smooth. Appressoria 7.5–11 × 8.5–12 μm, numerous, lobate, up to 4 lobes, unilateral or alternate, sessile, 1-celled, brown, penetration peg central on the appressorial cell. Ascomata 180–240 × 155–203 μm, superficial, thyriothecial, scutiform, on top of a loose mycelial mat, single to confluent, fringed at margins, randomly distributed in the colony, opening by a central star-shaped fissure, dark brown; wall of textura radiata; cells cylindrical. Asci 35–47 × 30–42 μm, bitunicate, fissitunicate, globose to obovoid, forming a palisade layer, 8-spored, hyaline, aparaphysate. Ascospores 22.5–28 × 10–16 μm oblong, straight, with rounded ends, 1-septate, constricted at the septum, upper cell slightly larger than the basal, initially hyaline, becoming brown at maturity, verruculose to lightly echinulate. Asexual morph: not seen.

Notes:—The specimen examined is morphologically close to two Asterina species reported on Malpighiaceae . However, it differs significantly from A. mascagniae Petr. with larger ascospores (10–15 × 6–10 μm) and smaller asci (40–52 × 36–45 μm) ( Petrak 1947), but it could not be segregated from A. indecora Syd. , a species described by Sydow (1927) because the sole difference from the newly collected specimen was asci slightly narrower than those in Sydow’s description. Thus, bearing in mind that both fungi are parasitic on the same host family, the specimen was here regarded as belonging to A. indecora .

Lembosia matogrossensis Firmino, Vélez-Zambrano & Dianese , sp. nov. Fig. 5 (A–H) MycoBank 829473 Typification: BRAZIL. Mato Grosso, municipality of Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade, Fazenda Pelicano at Serra Ricardo Franco, -

14.819 S, - 60.159 W, on leaves of Miconia prasina ( Melastomataceae ), 21 Feb 2014, Willliam Rosa Oliveira Soares 151, UB

(Mycol. Coll.) 22782 (holotype). Etymology: matogrossensis referring to the State of Mato Grosso.

Sexual morph: Colonies up to 4 mm diam, epiphytic, amphigenous, circular to irregular, single to confluent, black. Hyphae 4–5 μm diam, straight to flexuous, branching irregularly, dark brown, septate; hyphal cells, cylindrical, smooth. Appressoria 6–9.5 × 5–9.5 μm, numerous, lateral, entire or lobate, up to 3 lobes, unilateral or sometimes alternate, hemispherical, sessile, straight, unicellular, brown; penetration peg central on the appressorial cell. Ascomata 287–412 × 155–192 μm, superficial, hysterothecial, lirelliform, V or Y-shaped, dark brown to black, on top of a mycelial mat, single or confluent, fringed at margins, distributed in the center of the colony, opening by a longitudinal fissure; wall with textura radiata; cells cylindrical. Pseudoparaphyses up to 1 μm wide, cylindrical, septate, branched, hyaline. Asci 37.5–53 × 20–28 μm, bitunicate, fissitunicate, forming an upright palisade layer, clavate to obovoid, 8-spored, hyaline. Ascospores 15–22.5 × 7.5–9.5 μm, ellipsoid, with rounded ends, straight or slightly arched, 1-septate, constricted at the septum, upper cell slightly larger than basal, hyaline, becoming dark brown at maturity, smooth. Asexual morph not seen.

Lembosia miconiphylla Firmino, Vélez-Zambrano & Dianese , sp. nov. Fig. 6 (A–G) MycoBank 829474 Typification: BRAZIL. Mato Grosso, municipality of Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade, Fazenda Pelicano at Serra Ricardo Franco, -

14.819 S, - 60.159 W, 19 Feb 2014, on leaves of Miconia nervosa ( Melastomataceae ), José Cézar de Castro 476, UB (Mycol. Coll.)

22723 (holotype). ETYMOLOGY: The epithet miconiphylla refers to the host genus Miconia .

Sexual morph. Colonies up to 8 mm diam, epiphytic, epiphyllous, circular to irregular, single to confluent, black. Hyphae 4–5.5 μm diam, straight to flexuous, branching irregularly, dark brown, septate; hyphal cells cylindrical, smooth. Appressoria 11–14 × 6.5–8 μm, numerous, lateral, entire, alternate, cylindrical, sessile, straight, unicellular, brown, penetration peg indistinct. Ascomata 370–600 × 195–230 μm, superficial, hysterothecial, lirelliform, V or Yshape, on top of dense mycelial mat, single to confluent, fringed at margins, randomly distributed in the colony, opening by longitudinal fissure, dark brown to black; WALL showing textura radiata; cells cylindrical. Pseudoparaphyses up to 2 μm wide, cylindrical, septate, branched, hyaline. Asci 52–80 × 30–42.5 μm, bitunicate, fissitunicate, on an upright palisade layer, clavate to obovoid, 8-spored, hyaline. Ascospores 26–32.5 × 9–16 μm, ellipsoid, with rounded ends, straight or slightly arched, 1-septate, centrally constricted at the septum, upper cell slightly larger than basal, hyaline, becoming light brown at maturity, smooth. Asexual morph: not seen.

Notes:—The morphological characteristics of the Lembosia species on Melastomataceae are shown in Tables 7−8. All fourteen species are included, with six of them presently known from Brazil, as: L. abaxialis on Miconia jucunda , L. melastomatum on M. calvescens , L. matograssensis on M. cf. prasina , L. miconiicola on M. nervosa , and two Lembosia species ( L. miconiae and L. sclerolobii ) on Miconia sp.

Other species on Melastomataceae are known from French Guiana ( L. catervaria on Miconia flammea ), Trinidad and Tobago ( L. domingensis on Miconia prasina ), Puerto Rico ( L. gigantea on Miconia laevigata , L. melastomacearum on a non-identified Melastomataceae , L. miconiae-prasinae on Miconia prasina , L. sclerolobii on Miconia sp. ), Philippines ( L. memecyli on Memecylon lanceolatum , M. ovatum and Memecylon sp. ), India ( L. memecylicola on Memecylon sp. ), Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands ( L. rolliniae on Miconia mirabilis ).

*NI= non-identified

A careful comparison showed that L. matogrossensis is close to Lembosia abaxialis , but having smaller asci (37.5–53 × 20–28 μm) vs. (52.5–57.5 × 25–37.5 μm), smaller ascospores (15–22.5 × 7.5–9.5 μm) vs. (25–29 × 12.5– 15μm) and ellipsoid instead of oblong to cylindrical spores; and Lembosia miconiphylla is similar to L. dominguensis but having larger asci (52–80 × 30–42.5 μm) vs. (40–52 × 28–35 μm) and larger appressoria (11–14 × 6.5–8 μm) vs. (7–9 × 5–6 μm) which are cylindrical instead of hemispherical.

A key for the identification of Lembosia species occurring worldwide on hosts in the Melastomateceae is given below.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Asterina indecora on leaves of Heteropterys nervosa (Malpighiaceae) UB (Mycol. Coll.) 22733. A. Dark brown epiphyllous colony showing gregarious ascomata on top of the superficial mycelium. B. Ascoma opening by stellar dehiscence with irregular margin, but showing textura radiata. C. Branching of the appressoriate superficial hyphae, showing 1-celled lobate appressoria. D. Bitunicate immature globose ascus. E. An ascus bearing mature ascospores. F.Ascospores. Scale bars:A= 1 mm, B= 50 μm, C= 30 μm, D= 10 μm, E= 10 μm, F= 10 μm.

FIGURE 5. Lembosia matogrossensis sp. nov. on leaves of Miconia prasina (Melastomataceae), from the holotype UB (Mycol. Coll.) 22782. A. Dark brown epiphyllous colony showing gregarious ascomata associated to the superficial mycelium. B. Closed ascoma. C. Superficial mycelium with characteristically cylindrical to elliptical 1-celled appressoria. D. Transversal section of an ascoma showing paraphysate asci disposed on a palisade. E. Bitunicate obovoid ascus bearing immature ascospores. F. Immature ascus. G. Ascus with dark brown ascospores. H. Ascospores. Bars: A = 2 mm, B = 100 μm, C = 10 μm, D = 50 μm, E = 30 μm, F = 20 μm, G = 20 μm, H = 10 μm.

FIGURE 6. Lembosia miconiphylla sp. nov. on leaves of Miconia nervosa (Melastomataceae), from the holotype UB (Mycol. Coll.) 22723. A. Dark brown epiphyllous colony showing densely gregarious ascomata superficial mycelium. B. Y-shape lirelliform ascoma opening by a longitudinal slit. C. Superficial mycelium with 1-clled lobate appressoria. D. Transversal section of an ascoma with asci organized on a single layer. E−F. Bitunicate paraphysate asci with ascospores. G. Ascospore. Bars:A = 1mm, B = 200 μm, C = 20 μm, D = 50 μm, E = 20 μm, F = 50 μm, G = 10 μm.