Aurifilum marmelostoma
Aurifilum marmelostoma Begoude, Gryzenh. & Jol. Roux, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 98 (3): 273 (2010)
Index Fungorum number: IF513488 Facesoffungi number: FoF04130
Sexual morph: Ascostromata 520–600 μm high, 540–640 μm diameter, gregarious or single, scattered, medium to large, usually beneath or erumpent through the bark, semi-immersed, pulvinate to pyriform, yellow to orange, black ostiole, upper region eustromatic, lower region pseudostromatic, pseudoparenchymatous to prosenchymatous tissue. Perithecia 190–330 μm diameter, valsoid, 1-6 per stroma, globose to subglobose, embedded in the stroma at irregular levels, loosely connect with the host. Peridium 7.9–13.2 μm (x̅ = 9.9 μm, n = 15) wide, composed of dark brown to reddish brown cells, 4–5 layers of textura angularis to textura epidermoidea. Perithecial necks 140–310 μm (x̅ = 210 μm, n = 10) long, 33.5–57.6 μm (x̅ = 44.3 μm, n = 10) wide, periphysate, black, emerging at stromatal surface as black ostioles, surrounded with orange stromatal tissue to form papillae, composed of with textura porrecta. Asci 47.9–51.7 × 8.1–12.3 μm (x̅ = 50.4 × 9.8 μm, n = 20), 8-spored, fusoid to ellipsoidal, unitunicate with J-, refractive apical rings, short pedicel in immature and sessile at maturity. Ascospores 8.3–10.8 × 2.5–4 μm (x̄ = 9.7 × 3.3 μm, n = 40), L/W 2.9, hyaline, fusoid to ellipsoidal, 1-median septum with tapered apex. Asexual morph: Undetermined.
Culture characteristics: Colonies on PDA fast-growing, reaching 55 mm diameter, after one week at 25–30 °C, medium dense, circular in shape, flattened, surface smooth, with entire edge, velvety to floccose, colony from above greyish white, from below yellowish brown.
Habitat: Saprobic on dead branches and twigs of Terminalia ivorensis (Combretaceae).
Known hosts: Terminalia catappa, T. ivorensis and T. mantaly (Begoude et al. 2010, Vermeulen et al. 2011, Shen et al. 2016), Terminalia ivorensis (Hyde et al. 2020).
Known distribution: Cameroon, Kribi, Mbamalyo and Yaounde), Taiwan (Begoude et al. 2010, Vermeulen et al. 2011, Shen et al. 2016), Thailand (Hyde et al. 2020).
Material examined: Thailand, Chiang Rai, Mae Fah Luang University, on dead branches and twigs of Terminalia ivorensis (Combretaceae), 9 July 2017, MC. Samarakoon, SAMC082 (MFLU 18–0831, HKAS 102322, new host and geographical record), living culture MFLUCC 18–0536.
GenBank Accession No: ITS: MN473057, LSU: MN473051, TUB: MN987000.
Notes: Our strain is similar to the type species, Aurifilum marmelostoma in having gregarious or single, yellow ascostromata, the diameter of perithecia overlapping (190–330 μm diameter vs 190–310 μm) and hyaline, fusoid to ellipsoidal, 1-septate ascospores with a tapered base. Our ITS-LSU based phylogenies reveal that our strain clusters with other A. marmelostoma strains with high support (Fig. 126, 100%/100%/0.99 PP). In addition, the ITS, LSU and BT sequences are highly similar to those from the type strain (100%, 100% and 99.5%). However, there is no known record of A. marmelostoma in Thailand. This is the first record of Aurifilum marmelostoma from Terminalia ivorensis from Thailand and probably the first host record from Asia. Shen et al. (2016) discussed the pathogenicity of Aurifilum marmelostoma on Terminalia mantaly and T. catappa seedlings.