Aspergillus mallochii Visagie, Yilmaz & Seifert

Visagie, Cobus M., Yilmaz, Neriman, Renaud, Justin B., Sumarah, Mark W., Hubka, Vit, Frisvad, Jens C., Chen, Amanda J., Meijer, Martin & Seifert, Keith A., 2017, A survey of xerophilic Aspergillus from indoor environment, including descriptions of two new section Aspergillus species producing eurotium-like sexual states, MycoKeys 19, pp. 1-30 : 7

Aspergillus mallochii Visagie, Yilmaz & Seifert sp. nov. Fig. 5

Etymology.

Latin, mallochii, named after Prof. David Malloch, a Canadian specialist in ' Plectomycetes ' who first collected this species in the 1960's.

Typus.

USA, California, San Mateo, pack rat dung, added to DAOMC in 1969, collected by David Malloch, Holotype DAOM 740296, culture ex-type DAOMC 146054 = CBS 141928 = DTO 357-A5 = KAS 7618.

Additional material examined.

The Netherlands, 'chocolat miroir ' icing for a cake, unknown date and collector, culture CBS 141776 = DTO 343-G3.

ITS barcode.

KX450907. Alternative identification markers: BenA = KX540889, CaM = KX450902, RPB2 = KX450894.

Colony diam

7 d (in mm), 25 °C.CYA 6-8; CY20S 14-17; MEA 3-4; MEA20S 29-31; DG18 48-50; YES 9-10; M40Y 48-50; MY50G 35-40; MY10-12 29-30; CY20S, DG18, MEA20S at 37 °C no growth; CREA no growth.

Colony characters.

CYA: Colonies with restricted growth; conidiophores sparse; cleistothecia absent. CY20S: Colonies grow faster than on CYA; sporulation sparse to moderately dense, greyish to dark green (30E5-F5); cleistothecia dark yellow, abundant at colony centre. MEA: Colonies with restricted growth; conidiophores and cleistothecia absent. MEA20S: Colonies grow faster than on MEA; sporulation sparse, greyish to dark green (30E5-F5); cleistothecia yellow to orange, abundant. DG18: Colonies very fluffy with aerial mycelia giving rise to conidiophores; sporulation sparse to moderately dense, greyish to dark green (30E5-F5); cleistothecia abundant at colony centre, yellow to orange. Homothallic.

Micromorphology on DG18.

Cleistothecia eurotium-like, wall consisting of one layer of flattened cells, yellow to orange, turning deep brown with age, globose, 95-250 μm diam. Asci eight-spored, globose, ellipsoidal to pyriform, 10-15 μm diam, maturing after 7-14 d. Ascospores lenticular, equatorial crest present but incomplete, convex surface roughened, 4.5-6 × 3.5-4.5 μm (5.1 ± 0.3 × 3.9 ± 0.3), n = 52. Conidiophores radiate and columnar, uniseriate; stipes smooth, 200-1000 × 7.5 –17(– 19) μm; vesicle globose, (25 –)40– 65 μm diam; phialides ampulliform, covering 80-100% of vesicle, 7-11 × 3-5 μm; conidia roughened to spiny, ellipsoidal, connectives easily visible, 4.5-6.5 × 4-5.5 μm (5.4 ± 0.4 × 4.5 ± 0.3), average width/length = 0.83, n = 68.

Extrolites.

Isoechinulin A, B & C; neoechinulin A & B; unknowns C20H18O9, C19H32O3N2, C19H21O3N3, C24H30O3N3, C39H43O6N5. Additionally, echinulin, erythroglaucin, auroglaucin, flavoglaucin, dihydroauroglaucin, tetrahydroauroglaucin were found in CBS 141776. Some extrolites tentatively identified as tetracyclic compounds were detected in CBS 141776.

Notes.

Aspergillus mallochii is phylogenetically and morphologically most similar to Aspergillus appendiculatus . Both are unable to grow at 37 °C and both have ascospores with incomplete equatorial furrows. Ascospores of the new species, however, are generally smaller and at least finely roughened compared to the smoother ascospores of Aspergillus appendiculatus .