Trichoderma vermifimicola Jing Z. Sun & X.Z. Liu, 2020

Gu, Xin, Wang, Rui, Sun, Quan, Wu, Bing & Sun, Jing-Zu, 2020, Four new species of Trichoderma in the Harzianum clade from northern China, MycoKeys 73, pp. 109-132 : 109

Trichoderma vermifimicola Jing Z. Sun & X.Z. Liu sp. nov. Fig. 3

Etymology.

Latin, vermifimicola , refers to the habitat of the type species.

Type.

China. Yongning, Yinchuan, the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, 40°0'41"N, 116°23'37"E, ca. 1678 m elev., from the substrates for earthworm cultivation, 18 Oct 2018, Jing Z. Sun (HMAS 248255, holotype), ex-type culture CGMCC 3.19694.

Description.

On CMD after 72 h, colony radius 49-51 mm at 25 °C, 51-52 mm at 30 °C, 4-5 mm at 35 °C. Colony hyaline, irregularly circular, indistinctly zonate; mycelium loose. Aerial hyphae short, inconspicuous. No diffusing pigment, not distinct odor. Conidial production noted after 3 days, starting around the inoculum (Fig. 3B ). Small pustules formed at the colony margin, first white, turning blue-green after 7 d, with hairs protruding beyond the surface. Chlamydospores unobserved.

On PDA after 72 h, colony radius 55-58 mm at 25 °C, 55-56 mm at 30 °C, 5-6 mm at 35 °C. Colony white-green to bright green, regularly circular, distinctly zonate; mycelium dense and radial. Aerial hyphae short, inconspicuous. No diffusing pigment, not distinct odor. Conidial production noted after 2 days, starting around the inoculum, effuse in the aerial hyphae, first white, turning green after 2 d (Fig. 3A ). Chlamydospores unobserved.

On SNA after 72 h, colony radius 48-50 mm at 25 °C, 51-52 mm at 30 °C, 3-4 mm at 35 °C. Colony hyaline, regularly circular, distinctly zonate; mycelium loose, especially at the margin. Aerial hyphae short, inconspicuous. No diffusing pigment, not distinct odor. Conidial production noted after 2 days, starting around the inoculum, effuse in the aerial hyphae. Small pustules formed along with two concentric rings, first white, turning yellow-green after 3 d, with hairs protruding beyond the surface (Fig. 3C ). Conidiophores pyramidal with opposing branches, the distance between branches relatively large, each branch terminating in a whorl of 2-3 phialides, phialides sometimes solitary on the main axis (Fig. 3F, H, K ); whorls typically cruciate, but often nearly verticillate (Fig. 3K ); rarely conidiophores nodose and phialides disposed in more or less botryose clusters (Fig. 3H ). Phialides ampulliform to lageniform, often constricted below the tip to form a narrow neck, hyaline, (4.4-)5.0-10.5(-11.2) × (2.0-)2.5-3.0(-3.5) µm (x̄ = 6.6 × 2.7 μm, n = 30), length/width ratio (1.5-)1.8-2.8(-5.3) (x̄ = 2.4, n = 30), base 1.6-2.5 μm (x̄ = 1.9 μm) (Fig. 3G, I, K ). Conidia ovoid to subglobose, smooth, hyaline when young, becoming green to dark green with age, (2.0-)2.3-2.6(-3.0) × (1.5-)2.0-2.4(-2.8) µm (x̄ = 2.4 × 2.2 μm, n = 50), length/width ratio (1.0-)1.1-1.4(-1.7) (x̄ = 1.2, n = 50) (Fig. 3J ). Chlamydospores unobserved. No odor; no diffusing pigment observed.

Additional specimen examined.

China. Xixia District, Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, 38°38'52"N, 106°9'33"E, ca. 1127 m elev., from rhizosphere soil of Lycium chinois , 17 Oct 2018, Jing Z. Sun, living CGMCC 3.19697.

Teleomorph.

Undetermined.

Note.

Characterized by tree-like conidiophores, verticillate or in whorls of 3-4, ampulliform to lageniform phialides (5.0-10.5 × 2.5-3.0 μm), ovoid to subglobose conidia (2.4-2.6 × 2.0-2.5 μm). Differs from Trichoderma simmonsii by forming loose branches in whorls, relatively longer and thinner phialides, smaller conidia, and the fewer pustules on SNA.

Figures

Figure 3. Trichoderma vermifimicola (CGMCC 3.19694). Cultures at 25 ° C after 3 days (A on PDA B on CMD C on SNA) D conidiation pustules on CMD after 10 days E conidiation pustules on SNA after 10 d F, H conidiophores G, J, K conidiophores and phialides I conidia. Scale bars: 25 µm (F, H); 10 µm (G, J-K).