Catenularia cubensis Hol.-Jech., Mycotaxon 15: 278. 1982.

Reblova, Martina, Nekvindova, Jana & Miller, Andrew N., 2021, Phylogeny and taxonomy of Catenularia and similar fungi with catenate conidia, MycoKeys 81, pp. 1-44 : 1

Catenularia cubensis Hol.-Jech., Mycotaxon 15: 278. 1982. Fig. 4

Chaetosphaeria cubensis Synonym. Chaetosphaeria cubensis Hol.-Jech., Mycotaxon 15: 278. 1982.

Description.

Colonies on natural substrate effuse, hairy to velutinous, dark brown, mycelium partly immersed, partly superficial, brown; colonies composed of conidiophores, capitate hyphae and sometimes ascomata. Anamorph. Conidiophores 115-200 × 4-4.5 μm, 4.5-6 μm wide above the base, macronematous, solitary or arise in tufts, erect, straight or flexuous, unbranched, thick-walled, brown to dark brown, slightly paler towards the apex. Capitate hyphae 104-165 × 4-4.5 μm, 4-5.5 μm wide above the base, arise among the conidiophores, extending percurrently, erect, straight, brown to dark brown, paler towards the apex, apical cell sterile, thin-walled, subhyaline, slightly swollen, ca. 3.5 μm wide, broadly rounded, the hyaline gelatinous cap was not observed. Conidiogenous cells 22-38 × 3.5-4.5 μm tapering to 2-2.5 μm below the collarette, terminal, integrated, monophialidic, extending percurrently, cylindrical, pale brown to brown, producing conidia successively; collarettes 3.5-4 μm wide, 1-2 μm deep, shallow, funnel-shaped, pale brown, smooth, margin entire. Conidia 5.5-8.5 μm long, 3.5-5.5 μm wide at the apical end, 1.5-2 μm wide at the basal hilum (mean ± SD = 7.5 ± 0.7 × 4.3 ± 0.4 × 1.8 ± 0.2 μm), rounded-obconic to broadly obovoid in side view, with three bluntly rounded corners when viewed from above, broadly rounded to flattened at the apex, truncate at the basal scar, aseptate, brown to dark brown, thick-walled, smooth; formed singly, adhered in basipetal chains. Teleomorph. Ascomata 150-200 µm diam, 160-210 µm high, superficial, solitary or in groups, subglobose to conical, papillate, dark brown to black, covered with conidiophores and capitate hyphae. Ostiole periphysate. Ascomatal wall fragile, carbonaceous, 15-25 μm thick, two-layered. Outer layer consisting of brown, polyhedral cells with opaque walls. Inner layer consisting of several rows of thin-walled, hyaline cells. Paraphyses 2.5-3.5 μm wide, septate, hyaline, longer than the asci. Asci 62-84.5 × (6-)7-8.5 μm (mean ± SD = 72.2 ± 7.8 × 13.9 ± 0.9 µm), cylindrical-clavate, short-stipitate, apically rounded to obtuse, ascal apex with a non-amyloid apical annulus 2-2.5 μm wide, 1.5(-2) μm high. Ascospores 12-16(-17.5) × 3-4 μm (mean ± SD = 13.9 ± 0.9 × 3.5 ± 0.2 µm), fusiform, straight or slightly curved, hyaline, 3-septate, smooth, 2-seriate in the ascus.

Specimens examined.

Costa Rica • Guanacaste, Liberia ACG, Sector Santa Maria, Estacion Biologica, trail to Bosque Encantado ; 10.7647N, - 85.3033W; alt. 750 m; on 5 cm diam branch on ground; 26 Jun. 1997; S.M. Huhndorf (S.M.H. 3258) . Costa Rica • Alajuela, Cantón Upala, District Bijagua, Heliconias Station , Heliconias trail; 10.7081N, - 85.0453W; on 25 cm diam log on ground; alt. 1190 m; 12 Jul. 2001; S.M. Huhndorf, F.A. Fernández, A.N. Miller & M. Darin (S.M.H. 4454) . Cuba - Isla de la Juventud (Isla de Pinos) • Sierra de Casas , in a valley near El Abra, 2 km SW of Nueva Gerona; on dead trunk of Palmaceae ; 22 Jan. 1981; V. Holubová-Jechová (holotype PRM 825347) . Cuba - Isla de la Juventud (Isla de Pinos) • in forest near village Caryo Piedra ; on wood of a trunk of a deciduous tree; 21 Jan. 1981; V. Holubová-Jechová (PRA-19884) .

Habitat and geographical distribution.

Saprobe on decaying wood of palm Euterpe oleracea and other hosts in Brazil, Cuba and Costa Rica ( Holubová-Jechová 1982; De Castro et al. 2011; Miller and Huhndorf, unpubl.; this study), and on fallen leaves in India ( Dubey and Pandey 2017).

Notes.

The description is based on Cuban collections. In the Costa Rican material, conidia were 6-8.5 μm long, 3-5 µm wide at the widest point, 1.5-2 µm wide at the basal hilum, brown to dark brown, broadly obovoid or cuneiform, asci 60-80 × 7-9 µm, ascospores 12-20 × 3-5 µm, fusiform, 3-septate (Huhndorf and Miller, unpubl.). For additional details, see Holubová-Jechová (1982).

Catenularia cubensis closely resembles C. angulospora ; for comparison see notes for the latter species. Catenularia minor can also be compared with C. cubensis , but differs in longer and wider conidia (6.5-)7.5-10.5(-13) × 6.5-11.5 μm with 3-5 blunt corners and conidiophores that form two distinct layers.

Figures

Figure 4. Catenularia cubensis A ascomata accompanied by conidiophores and capitate hyphae B, J conidia C, D tufts of conidiophores with scattered capitate hyphae E-I conidiophores K-M asci with ascospores. Images: S. M. H. 3258 (A, H-J), PRM 825347 holotype (B-D, F, G, K-M); PRA- 19884 (E); on natural substrate (A-G, K-M); in culture (H-J). Scale bars: 200 μm (A); 10 μm (B, E-M); 25 μm (C, D).