Spiropes capensis ( Thuem .) M.B. Ellis, Mycol. Pap. 114: 5, 1968

Bermudez-Cova, Miguel A., Hofmann, Tina A., Yorou, Nourou S. & Piepenbring, Meike, 2024, Systematic revision of species of Atractilina and Spiropes hyperparasitic on Meliolales (Ascomycota) in the tropics, MycoKeys 103, pp. 167-213 : 167

Spiropes capensis ( Thuem.) M.B. Ellis, Mycol. Pap. 114: 5, 1968

Fig. 4

Cercospora capensis ≡ Cercospora capensis ( Thüm.) Sacc., Syll. fung. 4: 469, 1886.

Helminthosporium capense ≡ Helminthosporium capense ( Thüm.) [as ' Helmisporium '], Flora, Regensburg 59: 570, 1876.

Pleurophragmium capense ≡ Pleurophragmium capense ( Thüm.) S. Hughes, Can. J. Bot. 36: 796, 1958.

Helminthosporium carpocrinum = Helminthosporium carpocrinum Cif. [as ' Helmisporium '], Annls. Mycol. 36(2/3): 236, 1938.

Helminthosporium coffeae = Helminthosporium coffeae Massee [as ' Helmisporium '], Bull. Misc. Inf., Kew: 167, 1901.

Sporhelminthium coffeae ≡ Sporhelminthium coffeae (Massee) Speg., Physis, Rev. Soc. Arg. Cienc. Nat. 4(no. 17): 292, 1918.

Helminthosporium fici = Helminthosporium fici H.S. Yates [as ' ficuum '], Philipp. J. Sci. (Bot.) 13: 382, 1918.

Helminthosporium ficinum = Helminthosporium ficinum Sacc. [as ' Helmisporium '], Atti Accad. Sci. Ven.-Trent.-Istr., Sér. 3, 10: 90, 1919.

Helminthosporium fumagineum = Helminthosporium fumagineum Sacc. [as ' Helmisporium '], Atti Accad. Sci. Ven.-Trent.-Istr., Sér. 3, 10: 90, 1919.

Helminthosporium filicicola = Helminthosporium filicicola Henn., Hedwigia 44: 71, 1905.

Helminthosporium glabroides = Helminthosporium glabroides F. Stevens [as ' Helmisporium '], Bot. Gaz. 65(3): 240, 1918.

Helminthosporium melioloides = Helminthosporium melioloides Sacc. [as ' Helmisporium '], Atti Accad. Sci. Ven.-Trent.-Istr., Sér. 3, 10: 89, 1919.

Helminthosporium orbiculare = Helminthosporium orbiculare Lév., Annls. Sci. Nat., Bot., Sér. 3, 5: 299, 1846.

Helminthosporium philippinum = Helminthosporium philippinum Sacc. [as ' Helmisporium '], Atti Accad. Sci. Ven.-Trent.-Istr., Sér. 3, 10: 89, 1919.

Helminthosporium subsimile = Helminthosporium subsimile Sacc., Boll. Orto bot., Napoli 6: 23, 1921.

Helminthosporium tapurae = Helminthosporium tapurae Allesch., Hedwigia 36(4): 245, 1897.

Napicladium portoricense = Napicladium portoricense Speg., Boln Acad. nac. Cienc. Córdoba 26(2-4): 363, 1921.

Helminthosporium portoricense ≡ Helminthosporium portoricense (Speg.) Cif., Sydowia 9(1-6): 298, 1955.

Nascimentoa pseudoendogena = Nascimentoa pseudoendogena Cif. & Bat., Publicações Inst. Micol. Recife 44:4, 1956.

Description.

Colonies effuse, dark brown to black, hairy ( Ellis 1968). Hyphae superficial, branched, septate, 2-4 µm wide, pale olive to olivaceous-brown, smooth. Conidiophores arising singly or in groups, sometimes in large groups of 50-100 conidiophores, terminally or laterally from the hyphae, erect or ascending, straight or flexuous, septate, up to 600 µm long, 5-9 µm thick along most of their length, brown to dark brown, paler closer to the apex, with terminal and lateral scars. Conidia solitary, straight or curved, fusiform to obclavate, truncate at the base, 3-6 (usually 4 or 5) pseudosepta, (33-)50-60(-78) × (5.5-)6-11(-16) µm, 1-4 µm wide at the base, light brown to brown, smooth.

Specimen examined.

On Meliola sp. on living leaves of Coffea arabica , Benin, Atlantique, Attogon, Niaouli Forest, 6°44'23"N, 2°8'26"E, 119 m a.s.l., 19 September 2022, A. Krauß, A. Tabé, O. Koukol, N.S. Yorou, AK06H.

Additional specimens examined.

- On leaves of Ficus ulmifolia ( Moraceae ), Philippines, Los Baños, 1915, C.F. Baker, 451 (IMI 130940, type of Helminthosporium fumagineum ); on Meliola compositarum on leaves of Eupatorium portoricense ( Asteraceae ), Puerto Rico, Bega Vaja, 1921, no. 1753 (IMI 100331a, type of Napicladium portoricense ) .

Known hosts and distribution.

On colonies of Appendiculella spp., Asteridiella spp., Irenopsis spp. and Meliola spp. on living leaves of various plants in Amboina, Bolivia, Brazil, Cameroon, Congo, Dominican Republic, Ghana, India, Jamaica, Malaya, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Sabah, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Trinidad, Uganda and Venezuela ( Ellis 1968); on Meliola sp. on living leaves of Coffea arabica in Benin (this study). Spiropes capensis is reported here for the first time for Benin.

Illustrations.

This species was illustrated by Ellis (1968).

Notes.

According to the nomenclatural and taxonomic database Index Fungorum (http://www.IndexFungorum.org), the current name of the Spiropes capensis is Pleurophragmium capense ( Thüm.) S. Hughes. The genus Pleurophragmium (incertae sedis, Ascomycota) was established by Costantin (1888) and it comprises species with brown to dark brown conidiophores and sympodially proliferating, denticulate conidiogenous cells producing holoblastic, simple, mostly 3-septate, brown to dark brown conidia ( Abarca et al. 2007). According to Ellis (1968), the flat double scar is a good taxonomic character to distinguish species of Spiropes from Pleurophragmium , since, in the latter, the conidia are borne at the tips of tapered denticles. The morphological analysis of our samples and the type specimens (AK06H, IMI 100331a and IMI 130940) revealed the presence of flat double scars (Fig. 4e ) and no denticles. We think that the examined species differs morphologically from species in the genus Pleurophragmium and, therefore, it should be retained in the genus Spiropes .

Figures

Figure 4. Spiropes capensis (AK 06 H) a, b groups of conidiophores growing on hyphae of Meliola sp c conidiophores growing on hyphae of Meliola sp. shown in optical section d conidia shown in optical section. The thickness of the outer wall layer is indicated only in the drawing on the right-hand side e, f as seen by SEM e conidiophores with scars f conidia. Scale bars: 1 mm (a, b); 8.5 μm (c); 5 μm (d); 5 μm (e); 20 μm (f).