Gibellula fusiformispora Tasanathai, Kuephadungphan & Luangsa-ard, 2020

Kuephadungphan, Wilawan, Tasanathai, Kanoksri, Petcharad, Booppa, Khonsanit, Artit, Stadler, Marc & Luangsa-ard, J. Jennifer, 2020, Phylogeny- and morphology-based recognition of new species in the spider-parasitic genus Gibellula (Hypocreales, Cordycipitaceae) from Thailand, MycoKeys 72, pp. 17-42 : 17

Gibellula fusiformispora Tasanathai, Kuephadungphan & Luangsa-ard sp. nov. Figure 3

Typification.

Thailand, Chiang Mai, Chiang Dao District, Ban Huathung; 19°420'N, 98°971'E; on Araneida attached to the underside of unidentified dicot leaf; 5 October 2012; K. Tasanathai, A. Khonsanit, W. Noisripoom, P. Srikitikulchai, R. Promharn (Holotype no. BBH 32918, ex-type culture no. BCC 56802, isolated from conidia) GenBank: ITS = MT477070, LSU = MT477063, TEF1 = MT503329, RPB1 = MT503322, RPB2 = MT503337.

Etymology.

Refers to the fusiform part-spores.

Description.

Spiders totally covered by the white to cream mycelial mat. A single synnema or synnemata in pairs cream to light brown, often darker than the mycelia covering the host, narrowing toward the apex and terminating in a swollen sterile tip with acute apex (Fig. 3a-c ). Conidiophores arising laterally from the outer layer of synnemata, crowded, (23-)31-53(-83) × (4-)5.5-6.5(-7.5) μm, mostly verrucose, occasionally slightly roughed for very short conidiophores, abruptly narrowing to a slender apex and forming a globose to subglobose vesicle (Fig. 3c, i ). Vesicles 6-7(-8) μm in diam, each bearing a number of metulae (Fig. 3j ). Metulae obovoid to broadly obovoid, (7-)7.5-9(-10) × (4.5-)5-5.5(-6) μm (Fig. 3j ). Phialides borne on metulae, narrowly obovoid, 7-8.5(-10) × 2-3 μm bearing fusiform to broadly fusiform conidia, (3.5-)4-5(-6) × 1.5-2(-2.5) μm (Fig. 3h, j ). Conidial heads spherical, (31-)32-34.5(-37) μm in diam (Fig. 3j ). Perithecia mostly appearing in pairs, ovoid, superficial with a loose covering of white to cream mycelia, reddish yellow, up to 1,000 μm in length, 320-350 μm in width (Fig. 3d-e ). Asci 600-700 × 7-8 μm (Fig. 3f ). Ascospores often disarticulating into part-spores. Part-spores fusiform, 12-15 × 2-3 μm (Fig. 3g ). Granulomanus -like asexual morph absent.

Culture characteristics.

Colonies derived from conidia, on PDA slow-growing, attaining a diam of 1.1 ± 0.03 cm in 20 days at 25 °C, white, velvety; reverse cream, becoming light brown with age toward center (Fig. 3k ). Sporulation not observed.

Additional specimen examined.

Thailand, Chiang Mai, Chiang Dao District, Ban Huathung; 19°420'N, 98°971'E; on Deinopidae ( Araneae ) attached to the underside of unidentified monocot leaf; 23 September 2010; K. Tasanathai, P. Srikitikulchai, A. Khonsanit, K. Sansatchanon (BBH 38838, BCC 45076 and BCC 45077).

Notes.

The sexual morph of G. fusiformispora is extremely close to Torrubiella ellipsoidea ( Kobayasi and Shimizu 1982) in producing slightly curved fusiform part-spores of maximum 3 µm wide, whereas those of G. fusiformispora are almost two times wider. Considering the Gibellula conidial state, G. fusiformispora resembled G. cebrennini by forming synnema with sterile swollen tip, aspergillate conidiophores and fusiform conidia. However, G. fusiformispora can be easily recognized by having much shorter conidiophores, and the production of more than one synnema on the spider hosts.

Figures

Figure 3. Gibellula fusiformispora a fungus on a spider (BBH 38838) b fungus on a spider (BBH 32918) c synnemata (BBH 32918) d, e perithecia (BBH 38838) f ascus (BBH 38838) g ascospores (BBH 38838) h conidia (BBH 32918) i conidiophores showing conidial heads (BBH 32918) j conidial head bearing conidia (BCC 32918) k colonies obverse and reverse on PDA at 25 ° C after 20 days. Scale bars: 250 μm (e); 100 μm (i); 50 μm (g); 20 μm (f, h, j).