Botryosphaeria salicicola J. E. Sun, C. R. Meng & Yong Wang bis, 2022

Sun, Jing-E, Meng, Chao-Rong, Phillips, Alan J. L. & Wang, Yong, 2022, Two new Botryosphaeria (Botryosphaeriales, Botryosphaeriaceae) species in China, MycoKeys 94, pp. 1-16 : 1

Botryosphaeria salicicola J. E. Sun, C. R. Meng & Yong Wang bis sp. nov.

Figs 2a-i

Etymology.

In reference to the host from which the fungus was first isolated.

Diagnosis.

Botryosphaeria salicicola is characterised by oval to broadly fusiform ascospores (25.2 × 10.8; L/W = 2.3 vs. 22.7 × 7.8 µm, L/W = 2.9) and cylindrical to clavate asci (65-170 × 20-30 µm), with moderate growth rate.

Type.

China, Guizhou Province, Guiyang City , 26°65'N, 106°63'E, from branches of Salix sp., 20 June 2020, C.R. Meng, HGUP 21230 (holotype), ex-type culture GUCC 21230 .

Description.

Saprobic on dead branches of Salix . Teleomorph: Ascomata superficial, becoming erumpent at maturity, aggregated, thick-walled, wall composed of dark brown, thick-walled textura angularis, becoming thinner-walled and hyaline towards the inner layers, 160 µm diam. Hamathecium comprising hyaline, septate, branched, 2-3.5 µm wide filamentous pseudoparaphyses. Asci 65-170 × 20-30 µm, 8-spored, bitunicate, cylindrical, to clavate, stipitate. Ascospores 22-26 × 9.0-13 µm (average = 25.2 × 10.8 µm, n = 20, L/W = 2.3), irregularly biseriate in the ascus, hyaline, guttulate, smooth with granular contents, aseptate, oval to broadly fusiform, widest in the middle or upper third of the ascospore, tapering to the obtuse base and apex. Anamorph: Not observed.

Culture characteristics.

Ascospores germinate on PDA within 24 hours at room temperature (25 °C). Colonies with white fluffy mycelium on PDA (90 mm), after 7 days becomes grey-black at the bottom of centre, olivaceous-grey at the bottom of edge, white mycelium, raised, fluffy, dense filamentous.

Distribution.

China, Guizhou Province, Guiyang City.

Other material examined.

China, Guizhou Provice, Guiyang City , 26°65'N, 106°63'E, from dead branches of Salix , 20 June 2020, C.R. Meng, HGUP 21230, living culture GUCC 21230.1 .

Notes.

NCBI BLAST searches of ITS sequences from our strains suggested a high degree of similarity (99-100%) to Botryosphaeria dothidea . However, B. salicicola and B. dothidea show distant phylogenetic relationships in the phylogeny. Botryosphaeria salicicola has longer asci (65-170 × 20-30 µm vs. 63-125 × 16-20 µm) than B. dothidea and longer ascospores (25.2 × 10.8; L/W = 2.3 vs. 22.7 × 7.8 µm, L/W = 2.9) ( Slippers et al. 2004). The phylogenetic analyses indicate that Botryosphaeria salicicola forms an independent branch with respect to B. corticis , B. fabicerciana , B. fusispora , B. fujianensis , B. kuwatsukai and B. rosaceae . Comparing the morphological characteristics shows that B. corticis has longer ascospores than B. salicicola (29.3 × 11.6 µm vs. 25.2 × 10.8 μm) ( Phillips et al. 2006); B. fusispora has shorter asci than B. salicicola (77.5-112.5 × 20-25 µm vs. 65-170 × 20-30 µm) ( Liu et al. 2012); B. rosaceae has longer ascomata than B. salicicola (170-290 μm vs. 160 μm) ( Zhou et al. 2017). The sexual morphs of B. fabicerciana ( Chen et al. 2011), B. fujianensis ( Chu et al. 2021) and B. kuwatsukai ( Xu et al. 2015) are unknown.

Figures

Figure 2. Botryosphaeria salicicola (GUCC 21230, holotype) a-c ascomata on natural substrate d section through ascomata f mature asci g ascospores h colony on PDA (left: above, right: reverse). Scale bars: 400 µm (b); 200 µm (c); 50 µm (d); 40 µm (e); 20 µm (f, g); 15 mm (h).