Nemania serpens (Pers.) Gray, Nat. Arr. Brit. Pl. (London) 1: 516 (1821).

Pourmoghaddam, Mohammad Javad, Lambert, Christopher, Voglmayr, Hermann, Khodaparast, Seyed Akbar, Krisai-Greilhuber, Irmgard & Stadler, Marc, 2022, Note on the genus Nemania (Xylariaceae) - first records and a new species of the genus from Iran, MycoKeys 93, pp. 81-105 : 81

Nemania serpens (Pers.) Gray, Nat. Arr. Brit. Pl. (London) 1: 516 (1821).

Figs 5 , 6

Teleomorph.

Stromata superficial, effused-pulvinate, up to 4 cm long × 0.2-1.2 cm wide, sessile, attachment to substrate with strong connective; surface dark brown to black, with conspicuous perithecial mounds, carbonaceous immediately beneath surface; tissue between and beneath perithecia black to dark brown. Perithecia obovoid, 0.35-0.65 mm high × 0.25-0.4 mm wide, ostioles papillate to coarsely papillate. Asci cylindrical, stipe up to 130 µm long, spore-bearing part 55-70 × 7-9 µm, apical apparatus not bluing in Melzer’s reagent, dextrinoid (= red to red brown) in Lugol’s solution. Ascospores smooth, unicellular, pale brown to brown, ellipsoid, inequilateral, with narrowly or broadly rounded ends, 10-14 × 4-5(-6) µm, with straight germ slit much less than spore-length; perispore indehiscent in 10% KOH.

Cultures and anamorph.

Colonies on OA covering a 9 cm Petri dish in 18 days, at first white becoming Vinaceous (57), felty, azonate; finally, attaining Amber (47) to Honey (64) after 50 days. Anamorph geniculosporium-like. Conidiophores variables in length, hyaline to light brown. Conidiogenous cells up to 60 × 2.5-3.2 µm, hyaline to light brown. Conidia hyaline, ellipsoid with truncate base, 3-4.8 × 2-3.5 µm (Fig. 6 ).

Specimens examined.

Iran , Mazandaran Province, Ramsar County, Safarud Forest , 36°53'49"N, 50°35'29"E, 815 m elev., on fallen branch of Parrotia persica , 29 October 2016, leg. M.J. Pourmoghaddam (GUM 1625; living culture MUCL 57702, IRAN 3735C); Guilan Province, Astara County, 38°23'04"N, 48°51'45.10"E, 1 m elev., on fallen branch of Parrotia persica , 22 October 2021, leg. M.J. Pourmoghaddam (GUM 1903) .

Notes.

Nemania serpens is a very common fungus in Europe ( Petrini and Rogers 1986; http://pyrenomycetes.free.fr/, accessed 8 Aug 2022). In combination with pale olive brown ascospores with broadly rounded ends and with a short inconspicuous germ slit, N. serpens is characterised by a dextrinoid reaction of the ascal apical apparatus in Lugol’s solution, while it does not react in Melzer’s reagent, which is an exceptional combination within Nemania ( Granmo et al. 1999; http://pyrenomycetes.free.fr/, accessed 8 Aug 2022). Most of the characters of the Iranian specimens are in accordance with the neotype specimen (Fig. 7 ; Ju and Rogers 2002), aside from insignificant variations in the size of ascospores. We studied the neotype material and did not observe a conspicuous ascal apical apparatus as described by Ju and Rogers (2002). Morphological species identification of the Iranian specimens is corroborated by the ITS sequence data, as the Iranian and the ex-neotype sequence of N. serpens are almost identical (3 substitutions, 3 gaps). Finally, we would like to mention that, for the neotype specimen, Daranagama et al. (2018) erroneously described the ascal apical apparatus as bluing (I+) in Melzer’s reagent, while their fig. 7h clearly shows a not bluing (I-) ascal apical apparatus.

Figures

Figure 5. Nemania serpens (GUM 1625) A, B close-up view of stroma surface C close-up view of stroma surface showing ostioles D stroma in vertical section showing perithecia E, F mature asci in water G mature ascus in Melzer's reagent, showing the inamyloid (not bluing) ascal apical apparatus H, I mature ascus in Lugol's solution, showing the dextrinoid (= red to red brown) ascal apical apparatus J ascospore in water K ascospores in water showing straight germ slit much less than spore-length. Scale bars: 3 mm (A); 1 mm (B); 0.6 mm (C); 0.5 mm (D); 20 µm (E-I); 10 µm (J, K).

Figure 6. Culture and anamorphic structures of Nemania serpens (MUCL 57702) on OA A, B surface of colony after (A) 7 and (B) 50 days of incubation of N. serpens C conidia of N. serpens D, E general view of anamorph structure, conidiophores, conidiogenous cells and mature conidia of N. serpens. Scale bars: 10 µm (C); 20 µm (D, E).

Figure 7. Nemania serpens (neotype) A herbarium label B stromata on wood C, D close-up view of stroma surface E close-up view of stroma surface showing ostioles F, G mature ascus in water H mature ascus in Melzer's reagent, showing the inamyloid (not bluing) ascal apical apparatus I ascospores in water showing straight germ slit much less than spore-length J, K ascospores in water. Scale bars: 3 mm (C); 1 mm (D); 0.5 mm (E); 20 µm (F-H); 10 µm (I-K).