Catenularia elsikii (M.J. Pound, J.M.K. O'Keefe , N.B. Nunez Otano & J.B. Riding) Reblova & A.N. Mill., 2021

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 elsikii (M.J. Pound, J.M.K. O'Keefe, N.B. Nunez Otano & J.B. Riding) Reblova & A.N. Mill. comb. nov.

Chaetosphaeria elsikii Basionym. Chaetosphaeria elsikii M.J. Pound, J.M.K. O’Keefe, N.B. Nuñez Otaño & J.B. Riding, Palynology 43: 603. 2019.

Habitat and geographical distribution.

On fossil wood, known only in the United Kingdom.

Notes.

Catenularia elsikii was isolated from the material containing clay, charcoal and wood fragments present in the cracks of a large sample of fossil wood discovered in the United Kingdom ( Pound et al. 2019). Thick-walled, dark brown conidia were the only structure that has been preserved in material dated to the Miocene. In the conidial characteristics, C. elsikii is remarkably similar to C. macrospora known from Canada and New Zealand and C. novae-zelandiae known only from New Zealand. These species share dark brown, rounded-obconic conidia with (3-)4-5 corners when viewed from above. In addition, C. elsikii and C. novae-zelandiae have a visible pore at the basal hilum. Conidia of C. elsikii (23.1-24.4 μm high, 20.8-23.9 μm wide with a basal scar 3-4 μm wide) are longer and wider than those of C. novae-zelandiae , but shorter than those of C. macrospora . For detailed comparison, see notes to the two latter species.