Hevansia minuta Tasanathai, Noisripoom & Mongkolsamrit, 2022

Mongkolsamrit, Suchada, Noisripoom, Wasana, Tasanathai, Kanoksri, Kobmoo, Noppol, Thanakitpipattana, Donnaya, Khonsanit, Artit, Petcharad, Booppa, Sakolrak, Baramee & Himaman, Winanda, 2022, Comprehensive treatise of Hevansia and three new genera Jenniferia, Parahevansia and Polystromomyces on spiders in Cordycipitaceae from Thailand, MycoKeys 91, pp. 113-149 : 113

Hevansia minuta Tasanathai, Noisripoom & Mongkolsamrit sp. nov.

Fig. 4

Typification.

Thailand, Chumphon Province, Heo Lom Waterfall, 9°43'45.04"N, 98°40'52.71"E, on spider (Web builder, Araneae, Theridiidae , Meotipa sp.) attached to the underside of a dicot leaf of forest plants, 30 May 2011, K. Tasanathai, P. Srikitikulchai, A. Khonsanit, K. Sansatchanon, D. Thanakitpipattana, MY6537.01 (BBH 30490, holotype), ex-type culture BCC 47519 isolated from ascospores.

Etymology.

Refers to the small stroma of this species.

Description.

Spider host covered by white mycelium. Sexual morph: Stromata stipitate, arising from the dorsal region of the host, solitary, cylindrical to enlarging apically, white to cream, 10 mm long, 1 mm broad. Fertile head oval, ca. 2-2.5 mm long, ca. 1.5 mm broad. Perithecia completely immersed, narrowly ovoid, 400-500 × 100-170 µm. Asci cylindrical, 8-spored, 325-450 × 3-5 µm, with cap 2-5 µm thick. Ascospores hyaline, filiform, whole ascospores, 320-450 × 0.5-1.5 µm. Asexual morph: Conidiogenous cells phialidic scattered along with the stipe. Phialides solitary, globose to ovoid, arising from the mycelium, 5-7 × 5-6 µm, distinct necks, 1-2 × 0.5-1 µm. Conidia hyaline, fusiform, 2-7 × 2-3 µm.

Culture characteristics.

Colonies on OA attaining a diam. of 15-18(20) mm in 21 days, cottony with high mycelium density, white. Conidia and reproductive structures not observed.

Colonies on PDA attaining a diam. of 8-9(10) mm in 21 days, cottony with high mycelium density, white, reverse pale yellow (161C-D). Conidia and reproductive structures not observed.

Host.

Spiders ( Araneae, Theridiidae , Meotipa sp.).

Habitat.

Specimens were found on the underside of dicot leaves of forest plants.

Additional materials examined.

Thailand, Chumphon Province, Heo Lom Waterfall , 9°43'45.04"N, 98°40'52.71"E, on spider (Web builder, Araneae, Theridiidae , Meotipa sp.) attached to the underside of a dicot leaf of forest plants, 30 May 2011, K. Tasanathai, P. Srikitikulchai, A. Khonsanit, K. Sansatchanon, D. Thanakitpipattana, MY06537.02 ( BBH 30490 , paratype), ex-paratype culture BCC 47520 isolated from conidia .

Notes.

Hevansia minuta differs significantly from H. novoguineensis and H. nelumboides in the shape of the fertile heads, which is oval in H. minuta and disc-shaped, slightly convex on the upper surface in H. novoguineensis and H. nelumboides . Additionally, H. minuta differs from H. novoguineensis in the size of the perithecia. In H. minuta , perithecia are smaller than those reported for H. novoguineensis (400-500 × 100-170 µm vs. 500-750 × 200-300 µm) (Table 2 ). Synnema in H. minuta was not observed in the natural specimen, while the other species in Hevansia produce synnemata (Table 3 ). Hevansia minuta does not produce pigment in culture. Meanwhile, H. novoguineensis produces a purplish-red pigment diffusing in PDA plates.

Figures

Figure 4. Hevansia minuta a fungus on a spider (BBH 30490) b perithecia c ascus d ascus tip e filiform, whole ascospore f, g phialides with conidia h, i colonies on OA at 21 days (h obverse, i reverse) j, k colonies on PDA at 21 days (j obverse, k reverse). Scale bars: 5 mm (a), 100 µm (b), 50 µm (c), 10 µm (d, f, g), 20 µm (e).