Longihyalospora vermisporum (Hansf.) Tennakoon, C.H. Kuo & K.D. Hyde

Tennakoon, Danushka S., Thambugala, Kasun M., Jeewon, Rajesh, Hongsanan, Sinang, Kuo, Chang-Hsin & Hyde, Kevin D., 2019, Additions to Chaetothyriaceae (Chaetothyriales): Longihyalospora gen. nov. and Ceramothyrium longivolcaniforme, a new host record from decaying leaves of Ficus ampelas, MycoKeys 61, pp. 91-109 : 91

Longihyalospora vermisporum (Hansf.) Tennakoon, C.H. Kuo & K.D. Hyde comb. nov.

≡ Chaetothyrium vermisporum Hansf., Mycol. Pap. 15: 151 (1946). Morphological description: See Hansford (1946), Hofmann and Piepenbring (2006).

Recorded hosts.

Canthium sp. ( Rubiaceae ) Hansford no. 1327; Hugonia platysepalae ( Linaceae ) Hansford no. 1384; Ventilago africana ( Rhamnaceae ), Hansford no. 2930 (Hansford, 1946).

Known distribution.

Uganda (Hansford, 1946), Panama ( Hofmann and Piepenbring 2006).

Notes.

Chaetothyrium vermisporum was introduced by Hansford (1946) which was collected from Uganda based on morphological characteristics. Subsequently, it has been collected from Panama by Hofmann and Piepenbring (2006). After in-depth morphological investigations, we found that Chaetothyrium vermisporum shares some similar morphology with Longihyalospora ampeli by having mycelial pellicle with ring of setae, pale brown to brown peridium and hyaline, fusiform, elongated and multi-septate ascospores ( Hansford (1946). However, Chaetothyrium vermisporum can be distinguished from Longihyalospora ampeli by having hyaline surface mycelium, smaller asci (60 × 30 µm) and ascospores (35-50 × 5-6 µm) without a mucilaginous sheath, whereas Longihyalospora ampeli has dark brown mycelium, larger asci (90-115 × 52-62 µm) and ascospores (76-98 × 10-12 μm) with mucilaginous sheath. Therefore, we synonymized Chaetothyrium vermisporum under Longihyalospora based on high morphological similarities. Fresh collections with molecular data are needed to clarify the phylogenetic affinity of Longihyalospora vermisporum .

Additionally, we compared our collection with Chaetothyrium guaraniticum Speg. (type species of Chaetothyrium ). Longihyalospora ampeli can be distinguished from Chaetothyrium guaraniticum by many morphological characters, viz. C. guaraniticum has 1-septate shorter ascospores (10-14 × 4-5 µm) and lacks a mucilaginous sheath ( Spegazzini 1888), whereas L. ampeli has multi-septate (8-11), longer (84 × 10.8 µm) ascospores with a mucilaginous sheath. Further collections are needed to resolve the phylogenetic position and relationships between members of Chaetothyrium and Longihyalospora species.