Spiropes armatellae M.B. Ellis, Mycol. Pap. 125: 15, 1971

Bermudez-Cova, Miguel A., Hofmann, Tina A., Yorou, Nourou S. & Piepenbring, Meike, 2024, Systematic revision of species of Atractilina and Spiropes hyperparasitic on Meliolales (Ascomycota) in the tropics, MycoKeys 103, pp. 167-213 : 167

Spiropes armatellae M.B. Ellis, Mycol. Pap. 125: 15, 1971

Fig. 3

Type.

On Armatella cinnamomicola on leaves of Cinnamomum sp. ( Lauraceae ), Sri Lanka, Ceylon, 1971, M.B. Ellis (IMI134405b. The type specimen was not available for loan) .

Description.

Colonies effuse, dark brown to black, hairy. Hyphae superficial, branched, septate, 1-3 µm wide, straw-coloured, smooth. Conidiophores arising singly, erect or ascending, straight to flexuous, mostly flexuous at their tips, septate, up to 300 µm long, 5-8 µm thick, brown to dark brown, paler towards the apex, with rough surface, with scattered scars in upper parts of the conidiophores. Conidia solitary, straight or slightly curved, obclavate to obpyriform, mostly 1-septate, (20-)30-42(-50) × (6-)7-8(-10) µm, 2-3.5 µm wide at the base, brown, paler towards the ends, verrucose when seen by LM and SEM.

Specimen examined.

On Armatella litseae on leaves of Daphnidium pulcherrimum ( Lauraceae ), India, west Bengal, 1967, M.K. Maity (IMI 136371); on Armatella cinnamomicola on leaves of Cinnamomum sp., Myanmar, Thaton, 1971, M.M. Thaung, (IMI 161265).

Known hosts and distribution.

On colonies of Armatella spp. on various plants in India, Myanmar and Sri Lanka ( Ellis 1971).

Illustrations.

This species was illustrated by Ellis (1971).

Notes.

Two known species of Spiropes are hyperparasitic on species of the genus Armatella ( Meliolales , Armatellaceae ), namely S. armatellae and S. armatellicola ( Ellis 1971, Hosagoudar et al. 2002). According to Hosagoudar et al. (2002), both species are similar, but differ by the ornamentation of the conidia. The conidia of S. armatellicola are smooth, while those of S. armatellae are distinctly reticulated. However, it is sometimes difficult to observe the surface of the conidia by LM. Therefore, we recommend to analyse the ornamentation of the spores of S. armatellicola by SEM. The scars of S. armatellae could not be observed by SEM and it is necessary to collect fresh specimens of this fungus for further morphological analysis.

Figures

Figure 3. Spiropes armatellae (IMI 161265) a conidiophores with young conidium b, c conidia b shown in optical section. The thickness of the wall is indicated only in the drawing on the left-hand side c as seen by SEM. Scale bars: 5 μm (a); 2.5 μm (b); 10 μm (c).