Bertiella fici Tennakoon, C. H. Kuo & K. D. Hyde

Tennakoon, Danushka S., Thambugala, Kasun M., de Silva, Nimali I., Song, Hai-Yan, Suwannarach, Nakarin, Chen, Fu-Sheng & Hu, Dian-Ming, 2024, An overview of Melanommataceae (Pleosporales, Dothideomycetes): Current insight into the host associations and geographical distribution with some interesting novel additions from plant litter, MycoKeys 106, pp. 43-96 : 43-96

Bertiella fici Tennakoon, C. H. Kuo & K. D. Hyde , Fungal Diversity 108: 29 (2021)

Fig. 4

Description.

Saprobic on dead leaves of Cinnamomum verum J. Presl ( Lauraceae ). Sexual morph: Ascomata 160–220 × 230–280 µm (x ̄ = 180 × 240 μm, n = 15), solitary or scattered, semi-immersed to superficial, appeared as black dots on host surface, globose to subglobose, glabrous, unilocular, ostiolate. Peridium 12–20 μm wide, thick-walled, carbonaceous, composed of several layers of brown to dark brown pseudoparenchymatous cells, cells towards the inside hyaline, arranged in a textura angularis, fusing at the outside indistinguishable from the host tissues. Hamathecium comprising numerous, 1–2 µm wide, hyaline, septate, cellular pseudoparaphyses. Asci 50–60 × 7.5–8.5 μm (x ̄ = 52 × 7.8 μm, n = 20), 8 - spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindrical to cylindrical-clavate, short pedicellate, apically rounded, with a distinct ocular chamber. Ascospores 14–18 × 4–5 μm (x ̄ = 15 × 4.2 μm, n = 40), overlapping, 1–2 - seriate, fusiform, initially hyaline, becoming yellowish-brown at maturity, 1 - septate, slightly curved, slightly constricted at the septum, guttulate, smooth-walled. Asexual morph: Undetermined.

Material examined.

Thailand, Chiang Rai, Doi Mae Salong Mountain , on a dead leaf of Cinnamomum verum ( Lauraceae ), 15 June 2020, D. S. Tennakoon, DMS 002 ( CMUB 40045 ) .

Known hosts.

Cinnamomum verum and Ficus septica ( Tennakoon et al. 2021; this study).

Known distribution.

China and Thailand ( Tennakoon et al. 2021; this study)

Notes.

Bertiella fici was introduced by Tennakoon et al. (2021) from dead leaves of Ficus septica in China. The morphological characteristics of our collection ( CMUB 40045 ) tally well with the B. fici in having solitary or scattered, semi-immersed to superficial ascomata, cylindrical to cylindrical-clavate asci and yellowish-brown, 1 - septate ascospores with overlapping size ranges ( Tennakoon et al. 2021). Multi-gene phylogeny (LSU, SSU, ITS and tef 1 - α) also indicates that our collection nested with B. fici isolates in a 100 % ML and 1.00 BYPP supported clade. This was further confirmed by having only two nucleotide differences in the LSU and SSU genes between our collection and the type of Bertiella fici . Thus, we conclude our collection as a new host record of Bertiella fici from Cinnamomum verum . In addition, this is the first Bertiella fici record from Thailand.

Figures

Figure 4. Bertiella fici (CMUB 40045, new host record) a appearance of ascomata on the host b, c close-up of ascomata d vertical section of an ascoma e peridium f pseudoparaphyses g, h asci i – n ascospores. Scale bars: 75 µm (d); 10 µm (e); 20 µm (f – h); 7 µm (i – n).