Microascales » Microascaceae » Microascus

Microascus levis

Microascus levis Z.F. Zhang & L. Cai, sp. nov.

Index Fungorum number: 557745, Facesofungi number: FoF 08454; Fig. 39

Etymology: Referring to its smooth conidia.

Holotype: HMAS 248002.

Hyphae pale brown to brown, septate, branched, smoothor rough-walled, 1.5–3.5 µm diam. Asexual morph Conidiophores simple, cylindrical, smooth, hyaline to pale brown. Conidiogenous cell borne laterally on aerial hyphae, or lateral or at the apex of conidiophores, ampulliform or irregular shapes, sometimes curved, smooth-walled, pale brown, 6.0–12.5×2.5–5.0 µm. Conidia arranged in chains, subglobose to globose, smooth- and thick-walled, pale brown, 5.5–8.5(− 9.5) × 5.0–8.5 µm (x̄± SD = 6.8 ± 0.83 × 6.2 ± 0.79 µm, n = 55). Sexual morph not observed. Culture characteristics—Colonies on PDA attaining 23–25 mm diam. after 3 weeks, felty, compact, plicated, convex, margin entire to undulate, gray-yellow (4A2) to dark green (28E2) from margin to center, with light-colored margin. Reverse plicated, sunken, gray-yellow (4A2) to dark green (28E2). Colonies on OA attaining 32–40 mm diam. after 3 weeks, fat, white to cream-colored, margin entire, aerial mycelia sparse. Reverse white to cream-colored. Colonies on SNA attaining 30–34 mm diam. after 3 weeks, fat, margin entire, pale grey (30B2) to grey-yellow (30B3). Reverse pale grey (30B2) to grey-yellow (30B3). Sporulation within 15 days.

Material examined: CHINA, Guangxi, Guilin, Luotian Cave, N 24.948°, E 110.524°, on soil, May 2016, Z.F. Zhang, HMAS 248002 (holotype designated here), ex-type living culture CGMCC3.19308 = LC12495; ibid., LC12447.

Notes: Microascus levis is phylogenetically closely related to M. cirrosus Curzi. Whereas, the conidia of M. levis are subglobose to globose, rather than subglobose to obovate in M. cirrosus. In addition, the sexual stage of M. levis is absent. In morphology, M. levis is similar to M. restrictus Sand.-Den., Gené & Deanna A. Sutton and M. verrucosus Sand.-Den., Gené & Cano. While M. levis has larger conidia than M. restrictus (5.5–8.5(–9.5) × 5.0–8.5 vs. 4.5–6.0 × 4.0–5.5) and the conidiogenous cell of M. levis is smooth-walled rather than typically warted in M. verrucosus. Meanwhile, colonies of these three closely related species on OA are obviously diferent (white to cream-colored with entire and fat margin for M. levis, olive brown to brown with an irregular undulate margin for M. restrictus, olive grey with an immersed and slightly undulated margin for M. verrucosus).

 

Fig. X Microascus levis (from ex-holotype CGMCC3.19308). a–c Upper and reverse views of cultures on PDA, OA and SNA 3 weeks after inoculation; d–h conidiogenous cells and conidia; i conidia. Scale bars: d–i 10 µm

 

 

Retrieved from:

Zhang ZF, Zhou SY, Eurwilaichitr L, Ingsriswang S  et al.  2021 – Culturable mycobiota from Karst caves in China II, with descriptions of 33 new species. Fungal Diversity 106(1), 29-136. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13225-020-00453-7

 

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