Backusella elliptica H. Zhao & X. Y. Liu, 2024

Zhao, Heng, Nie, Yong, Huang, Bo & Liu, Xiao-Yong, 2024, Unveiling species diversity within early-diverging fungi from China I: three new species of Backusella (Backusellaceae, Mucoromycota), MycoKeys 109, pp. 285-304 : 285-304

Backusella elliptica H. Zhao & X. Y. Liu sp. nov.

Fig. 2

Etymology.

elliptica (Lat.) refers to the species having elliptical sporangiospores.

Holotype.

HMAS 352890 .

Colonies on PDA at 25 ° C for 4 days, reaching 90 mm in diameter, more than 15 mm high, flat, granulate, initially white, soon becoming pale mouse-grey, reverse straw-yellow stramineus. Hyphae aseptate at first, septate with age, hyaline, 5.0–18.5 μm in diameter. Rhizoids absent. Stolons absent. Long sporangiophores arising directly from substrate mycelia or aerial mycelia, transitorily curved, monopodially branched, usually with large terminal sporangia, erect, bent or rarely curved. Sporangia globose, hyaline to brownish, rough-walled, multi-spored, with more than 50 sporangiospores per sporangium, deliquescent-walled, 75.0–95.0 μm in diameter. Short sporangiophores unbranched, curved, ending with a multi-spored sproangiolum. Multi-spored sporangiola globose, hyaline, containing more than 10 sporangiospores, 30.0–50.0 μm in diameter, persistent-walled. Uni-spored sporangiola unknown. Apophyses rarely present. Collars, if present, small. Columellae usually cylindrical and rarely hemispherical, hyaline, with small droplets, 27.0–54.5 × 20.0–43.5 μm on the top of long sporangiophores, and usually conical, hyaline, with small droplets, 20.0–30.0 × 10.0–20.0 μm on the short sporangiophores. Sporangiospores elliptical, hyaline, with small droplets, 11.0–16.5 × 6.5–8.5 μm wide. Azygosporangia absent. Chlamydospores absent. Zygospores absent.

Materials examined.

China • Hainan Province, Ledong Li Autonomous Country , 18 ° 42 ' 35 " N, 108 ° 52 ' 36 " E, from forest soil sample, 11 April 2023, Heng Zhao (holotype HMAS 352890 , living ex-holotype culture HZ 86-1, and living culture HZ 86-2) .

GenBank accession numbers.

ITS, PP 477393 and PP 477394; LSU, PP 477403 and PP 477404, RPB 1, PP 709513 and PP 709514.

Maximum growth temperature.

32 ° C.

Figures

Figure 2. Morphologies of Backusella elliptica ex-holotype HZ 86-1 a, b colonies on PDA (a obverse b reverse) c long sporangiophores with multi-spored sporangia d short sporangiophores with multi-spored sporangia e – g sporangiophores with columellae h sporangiospores. Scale bars: 20 μm (c – g); 10 μm (h).