Diatrypasimilis australiensis J.J.Zhou & Kohlm

Mycologia 102 (2): 432 (2010).

DESCRIPTION AND ILLUSTRATION. — SeeAbdel-Wahab et al. (2014).

DISTRIBUTION. — Australia, Saudi Arabia.

NOTES

Diatrypasimilis australiensis has characters that are common to the Diatrypaceae, but the ellipsoidal ascospores, with a germ slit are unique. Members of Diatrypaceae usually have allantoid ascospores and lack germ pores or slits (Chalkley et al. 2010; Abdel-Wahab et al. 2014). However, the original authors did not fully characterize the morphology of the fungus on natural substrates, apparently because of a lack of material (Abdel-Wahab et al. 2014). Abdel-Wahab et al. (2014) re-described this fungus based on a culture isolated from unidentified driftwood at Yanbu beach, Saudi Arabia. This isolate of Diatrypasimilis australiensis was different from the type species in having larger, deeply immersed ascomata (Abdel-Wahab et al. 2014). However, the difference between the two collections did not warrant separation at the species level. The strain from Saudi Arabia (Abdel-Wahab et al. 2014) produced holoblastic conidia singly, while in the type strain, the conidiophores proliferated either sympodially or annellidically, or possibly by a combination of both, producing conidia on minute denticles (Chalkley et al. 2010). Abdel-Wahab et al. (2014) noted that LSU sequences of the two strains were 99% similar. According to our phylogenetic analysis with combined ITS+Btub Diatrypasimilis australiensis groups in a clade (clade K) comprising Monosporascus cannonballus (ATCC 26931 and CMM3646) as a basal lineage (Fig. 1). ITS analysis yielded a single clade (clade M) comprising Halocryptovalsa salicorniae Dayarathne & K.D.Hyde, sp. nov. (MFLUCC 15-0185) and Diatrypasimilis australiensis but with no statistical support (Fig. 2). These two species are morphologically different from each other.