Terfezia crassiverrucosa Zitouni-Haouar, G. Moreno, Manjón, Fortas, & Carlavilla, 2018

Zitouni-Haouar, Fatima El-Houaria, Carlavilla, Juan Ramón, Moreno, Gabriel, Manjón, José Luis & Fortas, Zohra, 2018, Genetic diversity of the genus Terfezia (Pezizaceae, Pezizales): New species and new record from North Africa, Phytotaxa 334 (2), pp. 183-194 : 188-189

Terfezia crassiverrucosa Zitouni-Haouar, G. Moreno, Manjón, Fortas, & Carlavilla , sp. nov. Fig. 2

MycoBank MB 822869

Type:— Algeria. Tebessa: Chrea, 1 April 2011, Z. Fortas (Holotype, AH 46383).

Diagnosis: — Ascomata hypogeous, subglobose, substipitate with short basal attachment, <8 cm broad ( Fig. 2a ). Peridium smooth, light to dark brownish, 100–200 μm thick with emergent hyphae 6–10 μm broad at septa, pseudoparenchymatous, composed of subglobose, polygonal to irregularly oblong cells (9–) 12.5–38 × 15–60(–62) μm, with cell walls 1–2 μm thick. Gleba solid, fleshy, light pink to pale yellow with subglobose to elongate light pink to pale gray pockets of fertile tissue, separated by light yellow to pale orangish yellow sterile veins ( Fig. 2b ). Asci (4–6)–8– spored, hyaline, often ellipsoid to ovoid or at times subglobose, 51–60 × 60–81 μm, nonstalked ( Fig. 2 c & d ). Ascospores globose, first hyaline, turning light yellowish to bright orange with age, measuring (16–) 17–21 (–24) μm in diameter including ornamentation, consisting in more or less broad flat truncate to round-tipped warts (0.5–) 1–1.5 × 2–4.5 (– 6) μm, and relatively elongated rounded elements measuring 1–1.5 × 1.5–3 μm. The prominent, crowded ornamentation hides a fine reticulum on the spore surface formed between the warts ( Fig. 2 c–h ).

Etymology:—The epithet (Latin crassiverrucosa ) refers to the large warts covering the spore surface of this species.

Habitat:—Algerian arid area. In high steppe plains south of Constantine (Chrea, Tebessa), associated with Helianthemum sp. In high steppe plains south of Algiers (Bouchouat, Tiaret), found under Helianthemum hirtum and H. salicifolium associated mostly with Stipa parviflora on sandy loam alkaline soil, in sites also producing T. claveryi and T. eliocrocae . March, April.

Additional specimen examined: — ALGERIA. Tiaret: Bouchouat, March 2013, F.E.-H. Zitouni-Haouar.

Notes: — T. crassiverrucosa clearly differs from its closest relatives Terfezia species with warty-reticulate spores, T. boudieri var. arabica Chatin and T. mellerionis Chatin , by the shape of its asci (often ellipsoid to ovoid), the number of ascospores per asci (mostly 4–6, very rarely 8 spored) and the size of its spores which is considerably smaller (17–21 μm) ( Chatin 1893, 1896). T. metaxasi Chatin produce ascomata with darker peridium (very dark brown to near-black) and much larger spores (30-32 μm) with darker color (dark brown) and more elongated papillae (up to 5μm tall) than T. crassiverrucosa ( Chatin 1892, Alsheikh 1994). T. aphroditis Chatin differs from T. crassiverrucosa in having darker peridium (brownish black) and gleba (sooty-black irregularly marbled) and much bigger (28-32 μm) and darker (brown-sooty black) ascospores ( Chatin 1897). The reddish brown peridium and the exclusively short, round-tipped papillae on the spore surface of T. hispanica Lazaro Ibiza differentiate that species from T. crassiverrucosa (Lazaro é Ibiza 1908) . T. hafizi Chatin is also clearly distinguished from T. crassiverrucosa by its white gleba, globose stalked asci and purely reticulate ascospores ( Chatin 1892).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Macro- and microscopic characters of Terfezia crassiverrucosa. a. ascocarp collected under Helianthemum hirtum. b. gleba, cross section. c,d. asci with spores. e–h. ascospores (f–h. scanning electron micrograph). Bars: a–b = 1 cm, c–d = 10 μm, e = 5 μm, f–g = 5 μm, h = 2 μm.