Huntiella krugeri F.F. Liu. Marinc. & M.J. Wingf. sp. nov. Fig. 3

Etymology.

The name refers to the Kruger National Park in South Africa, where this fungus was collected.

Mating strategy.

Heterothallic with isolates having either a MAT1-1-1 gene or a MAT1-2-1 gene.

Sexual state. Not observed.

Asexual state. Produced on 2% MEA in 3 weeks. Thielaviopsis -like. Conidiophores macronematous, upright, simple or branched in one tier, 29-37 µm in length, often reduced to conidiogenous cells; Conidiogenous cells enteroblastic, lageniform, 10-20 µm long, 1.5-3 µm wide, tapering towards apex. Conidia hyaline, rectangular-shaped, usually straight, with top-end conidium often club-shaped, 4-11 × 1-2 µm (avg. 6.2 × 1.7 µm). Aleurioconidia hyaline, holoblastic, mostly terminal, ellipsoidal to subglobose with an extended tube-like base, club-shaped, 4-7 × 2-3 µm (5.6 ± 0.76 × 2.5 ± 0.24 µm).

Culture characteristics.

Cultures on 2% MEA in dark in 8 d showing circular growth with even edge, mycelium superficial, flat, dense, colour above uniformly white, below luteous (19). Optimum growth temperatures were at 30 °C at 9 mm/d, followed by at 25 °C (8.2 mm/d), 35 °C (6.2 mm/d), 20 °C (6 mm/d), 15 °C (3.4 mm/d), 10 °C (0.9 mm/d) and 5 °C (0.3 mm/d).

Specimens examined.

South Africa, Mpumalanga, Kruger National Park, Satara rest camp, Senegalia nigrescens, June 2010, M. Mbenoun, PREM 62883, holotype (dried culture of CMW 36849), culture ex-holotype CMW 36849 = CBS 131676 = PPRI 27952.

Other cultures.

South Africa, Mpumalanga, Kruger National Park, Punda Maria, Colophospermum mopane, April 2009, M. Mbenoun, CMW 55933, CMW 55934, CMW 55935.

Notes.

Huntiella krugeri is closely related to H. hellenica described in the present study, H. cryptoformis (Mbenoun et al. 2014) and H. savannae (Kamgan Nkuekam et al. 2008). Due to its heterothallic nature, H. krugeri produced only the asexual state in this study. The bacilliform conidia of H. krugeri (average 6.2 × 1.7 μm) were longer than those of H. hellenica (average 5.9 × 5.3 μm) and H. cryptoformis (average 5.5 × 2.5 μm). In addition, H. krugeri produced hyaline aleurioconidia, which are absent in other closely-related species in the genus.