Fasciatispora arengae

Fasciatispora arengae Konta & K. D. Hyde, Mycosphere 9 (4): 725 (2018).

Index Fungorum number: IF554299         Facesoffungi number: FoF04373

Saprobic on dead leaflet of Arenga pinnata. Sexual morph: Ascomata 147–333 µm diam. × 142–135 high μm (x̄ = 240 × 171 µm, n = 10), semi-immersed, visible as black, raised, solitary, in cross section globose, subglobose, lenticular, irregular, with central ostiole. Ostiole 42–60 μm diam. at the base × 34–52 μm high (x̄ = 52 × 44 µm, n = 5). Peridium 20–25 µm diam. (x̄ = 23 µm, n = 10), outwardly comprising thick-walled, compressed, dark brown cells of textura angularis. Paraphyses 1.8–3 µm diam. (x̄ = 2.4 µm, n = 10), hyaline, filamentous, cylindrical, septate, branched. Asci 80–130 × 8–11 µm (x̄ = 117 × 9 µm, n = 20), 8-spored, unitunicate, cylindrical, short-pedicellate, apically rounded, with a J+, subapical ring. Ascospores 12–16 × 6–8 µm (x̄ = 14 × 7 µm, n = 20), uniseriate, hyaline, brown when mature, young ascospore fusiform becoming ellipsoidal at maturity, unicellular, guttulate, smooth-walled, with a central pallid band, surrounded by a thick mucilaginous sheath, lacking germ slit. Asexual morph: Undetermined.

Habitat: Dead leaflet of Arenga pinnata

Known distribution: Thailand

Material examined: THAILAND, Phang-nga Province, on dead leaflet of Arenga pinnata (Wurmb) Merr. (Arecaceae), 5 December 2014, S. Konta, PHR07g (MFLU 15-0301, holotype).

GenBank Accession No: ITS: MK120275, MK120276, MK120277, LSU: MK120300, MK120301, MK120302, SSU: MK120304, MK120305, MK120306 (Hyde et al. 2019).

Notes: Fasciatispora arengae is similar to species in genus Fasciatispora in having uniseriate, cylindrical asci, with a J+, subapical ring and unicellular ascospores with a central pallid band, but is distinct in its semi-immersed ascomata and ascospore dimensions. Ascospore dimensions of F. arengae (12–16 × 6–8 µm) are slightly similar to F. nypae (11.6–17 × 5.6–7.1 µm), but F. arengae is collected from dead leaflet of Arenga pinnata, while F. nypae is reported as a marine inhabitant (Hyde 1991). Fasciatispora arengae has larger ascospores than F. calami (12– 13 × 5–6 µm) and F. lignicola (8.4–14.9 × 3.9–7.5 µm).