Pseudogymnoascus botryoides Zhi.Y. Zhang, Y.F. Han & Z.Q. Liang, 2023

Zhang, Zhi-Yuan, Li, Xin, Chen, Wan-Hao, Liang, Jian-Dong & Han, Yan-Feng, 2023, Culturable fungi from urban soils in China II, with the description of 18 novel species in Ascomycota (Dothideomycetes, Eurotiomycetes, Leotiomycetes and Sordariomycetes), MycoKeys 98, pp. 167-220 : 167

Pseudogymnoascus botryoides Zhi.Y. Zhang, Y.F. Han & Z.Q. Liang sp. nov.

Fig. 15

Etymology.

In reference to aleurioconidia and intercalary conidia which are borne together to form a botryoidal-like structure.

Type.

China: Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Beihai City 21°48'75"N, 109°12'72"E, soil, 10 Jul 2016, Z.Y. Zhang (HMAS 351904 holotype designated here, ex-type living culture CGMCC 3.20875 = GZUIFR 22.024) ; ibid., GZUIFR 22.044 .

Description.

Culture characteristics (14 d at 25 °C): Colony on PDA 29-30 mm diam., annular, margin aerial hyphae sparse, orange white (5A2) to white (5A1) from centre to margin, flat, compact, exudates and diffusible pigments absent; reverse reddish-orange (7A8) to orange white (5A2) from centre to margin. Colony on MEA 28-29 mm diam., white (7A1), flat, compact, nearly round, margin regular, exudates abundant, light red, diffusible pigments absent, reverse brown (7E8) to white (7A1) from centre to margin. Colony on OA greyish-orange (5B3) to white (5A1) from centre to margin, 25-28 mm diam., flocculent, granuliform, nearly round, margin slightly undulated, exudates abundant, diffusible pigments absent; reverse light orange (5A5) to white (5A1) from centre to margin.

Hyphae branched, septate, hyaline, smooth, 0.5-2.5 μm diam. wide, fertile hyphae bearing aleurioconidia and/or intercalary conidia, sessile. Aleurioconidia and intercalary conidia are borne together to form a botryoidal-like structure. Conidiophores abundant, dense, interwoven into a network, curved, hyaline, rough, usually bearing verticils of two to eight branches, arising from the stipe at an acute angle. Aleurioconidia pyriform, obovoid, elongated, with a broad truncated basal scar, 2.0-4.5 × 1.5-2.5 µm (av. 3.8 × 2.3 μm, n = 50). Intercalary conidia drum, reniform, 2.5-5.0 × 1.5-2.5 µm, separated by connective cells that undergo rhexolysis, bearing sessile conidia. Arthroconidia rare, cylindrical, sometimes slightly curved, 2.5-5.0 × 1.0-2.0 µm (av. 4.4 × 1.6 μm, n = 50). Sexual morph unknown.

Additional specimens examined.

China: Guangdong Province, Zhanjiang City, the affiliated hospital of Guangdong Medical University 21°19'98"N, 110°40'34"E, soil, 25 Aug 2019, Z.Y. Zhang, GZUIFR 22.045, ibid., GZUIFR 22.046 .

Notes.

Pseudogymnoascus botryoides was placed as a member of clade I (Fig. 14 ). Clade I is composed of P. antarcticus and many other isolates that remain unidentified species ( Minnis and Lindner 2013; Villanueva et al. 2021). Phylogenetically, P. botryoides forms a distinct lineage with strong support (Fig. 14 ). Morphologically, P. botryoides can be distinguished from other species in the genus Pseudogymnoascus by its aleurioconidia and intercalary conidia being borne together to form a botryoidal-like structure.

Figures

Figure 14. Concatenated phylogeny of the ITS, LSU, EF 1 A, RPB 2 and MCM 7 gene regions of species in Thelebolaceae. Ninety-nine strains are used. The tree is rooted in Leuconeurospora pulcherrima (CBS 343.76) and Leuconeurospora sp. (15 PA 04 and 02 NH 04). The tree topology of the BI was similar to the ML analysis. Bayesian posterior probability (≥ 0.7) and ML bootstrap values (≥ 70 %) are indicated along branches (PP / ML). Novel species are in blue and bold font, new isolates are in blue and " T " indicates type derived sequences.

Figure 15. Pseudogymnoascus botryoides (from ex-holotype CGMCC 3.20875) a-c upper and reverse views of cultures on PDA, MEA and OA 14 d after inoculation d-h conidiophores and conidia i, j cluster conidia. Scale bars: 10 µm (d-j).