Meliola veebeehosagoudarii A. Sabeena & H. Biju, 2022

Sabeena, Aliyarukunju & Biju, Haridas, 2022, A new species and a new variety of Meliolaceae fungi from India, Phytotaxa 541 (1), pp. 57-65 : 58-59

Meliola veebeehosagoudarii A. Sabeena & H. Biju sp. nov. ( Figs 1 , 2 )

MycoBank No.: MB 842436

Type:— INDIA. South Andaman Islands: Ferrargunj , Shoal Bay 9, on leaves of Helicia excelsa (Roxb.) Blume (Proteaceae) , 8 February 2014, H. Biju et al. 7116 (holotype TBGT!) .

Etymology:— The species is named in honor of the late Dr V.B. Hosagoudar, a renowned fungal taxonomist and a guiding force for many students and researchers in the country and also for his outstanding contribution in the field of foliar mycobionts in India, over three decades.

Colonies epiphyllous, thin to subdense up to 2 mm in diameter, confluent. Hyphae straight to substraight, branching opposite at acute to wide angles, loosely reticulate, cells 17–32 × 5–7 μm. Appressoria opposite to unilateral, antrorse, subantrorse to retrorse, 10–15 μm long; stalk cells cylindrical to cuneate, 2–5 μm long; head cells ovate, oblong, subglobose to globose, entire, 7–10 × 5–10 μm. Phialides mixed with appressoria, opposite, ampulliform, 17–27 × 5–7 μm. Mycelial setae scattered, simple, straight, acute to obtuse at the tip, up to 950 μm long. Perithecia scattered, globose, up to 150 μm in diam. Ascospores oblong, 4-septate, constricted at the septa, 32–37 × 10–12 μm.

Notes:— Meliola heliciae Yamam. , M. banksiae Hansf. , M. lanosa Pat. , M. lanosa var. funerea (McAlpine) Hansf. , M. grevilleae Hansf. , M. grevilleae-gillivrayi B. Huguenin and M. heliciicola Hansf. ( Table 1 ) are the known species on members of Proteaceae ( Hansford 1961, Huguenin 1969). However, M. veebeehosagoudarii differs from all of these in having predominantly opposite appressoria and smaller ascospores. Meliola banksiae has about 3% opposite appressoria but differs in having 2–3 dentate mycelial setae. According to Hansford (1961), the other species reported on the family Proteaceae , Meliola rupalae Speg. has been synonymised under Irenopsis rupalae (Speg.) F. Stevens.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Meliola veebeehosagoudarii. a. Appressorium. b. Phialide. c. Apical portion of the mycelial setae. d. Ascospores. Illustrator: Aliyarukunju Sabeena.

FIGURE 2. 1. Leaves of Helicia excelsa infected with Meliola veebeehosagoudarii. 2. Colony with perithecia. 3, 4. Appressoriate mycelium. 5. Hyphae showing phialides mixed with appressoria. 6. Mature perithecium. 7, 8. Ascospores. Photographer: Haridas Biju.