Aureobasidium khasianum Pratibha & Prabhug., 2018

Prabhugaonkar, Ashish & Pratibha, J., 2018, Aureobasidium khasianum (Aureobasidiaceae a novel species with distinct morphology, Phytotaxa 374 (3), pp. 257-262 : 260

Aureobasidium khasianum Pratibha & Prabhug. , sp. nov. ( Fig. 2 )

MycoBank MB 828278.

Holotype:— INDIA. Meghalaya, Khasi hills, forest near Puriang village, on decomposing fallen leaves of Wightia speciosissima (D. Don) Merr. ( Paulowniaceae ), 12 December 2016, coll. A. Prabhugaonkar, (holotype HCIO 52163, isotype ASSAM-AVP 109), ex-type culture NFCCI- 4275, AVP( C)-109.

Colonies on the leaf surface circular, hairy, dark brown to black. Mycelium partly immersed in the substrate. Hyphae septate, branched, pale brown to brown, smooth-walled, 1.5–2.5 μm wide. Setae unbranched, erect, straight, dark brown, smooth, thick-walled, 80–200 × 7–10 μm. Conidiophores micronematous to semi-macronematous, mononematous, adhering to the sides of the setae and forming conidiogenous cells. Conidiogenous cells monoblastic, rarely polyblastic. Conidia monilioid arising in acropetal branched chains, fragmenting, aseptate, smooth, hyaline to pale olivaceous, 3–4 × 2–40 μm, sometimes forming a conidial mass of uneven size and shape.

Colonies on malt extract agar, fast growing, spreading, and covered with slimy masses of conidia, white when young, dark green at maturity. Mycelium forming cords of 10–15 μm or more thickness, smooth, septate, becoming brown and thick-walled. Stromata none, setae and hyphopodia absent.Arthroconidia integrated, intercalary, ellipsoidal, 2–3 × 2–7 μm. Conidiogenous cells on hyaline hyphae, phialidic, lateral, terminal or intercalary. Conidia produced simultaneously in dense groups, hyaline, smooth, one-celled, variable in shape and size, 1–4 × 2–5 μm. Secondary conidia produced by yeast like budding of primary conidia.

Habitat/Distribution:— On fallen leaf litter of Wightia speciosissima , India.

Etymology:— Refers to Khasi hills.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Aureobasidium khasianum a. Colony on leaf surface. b–c. Close-up view on malt extract agar. d. Conidia formation in culture. e–h. Conidiophores and formation of conidia on host. i–l Conidia.