Barriopsis archontophoenicis

Barriopsis archontophoenicis

Konta, Boonmee & K.D. Hyde (2016)

Classification:Ascomycota-Pezizomycotina-Dothideomycetes-Botryosphaeriales-Botryosphaeriaceae-Barriopsis

Host species: Archontophoenix alexandrae (Konta et al. 2016)

Holotype: MFLU 15–0015 (Konta et al. 2016)

Known distribution: Chiang Mai, Thailand

IF Number: IF552104      Mycobank Number: 552104     FOF Number: FoF02097

Description

Saprobic on woody tissue of Archontophoenix alexandrae. Sexual morph on fresh specimen: Ascostromata 103–194 μm, high × 99–124 μm diam. (x̅ = 132 × 120 μm, n = 10), solitary to aggregated, immersed, erumpent at maturity, uniloculate, subglobose, minutely papillate, some with a short neck, and slightly flattened at the base. Ostiole epapillate. Peridium 5–14 μm wide, composed of outer layers of black, thick-walled, cells of textura angularis, inner layers hyaline and thin-walled. Hamathecium comprising numerous, 2–3 µm wide, hypha-like, septate, cellular pseudoparaphyses. Asci 70–144 × 17–25 μm (x̅ = 109 × 20 μm, n = 10), 8-spored, bitunicate, cylindrical-clavate, short-pedicellate, apically rounded, with an ocular chamber. Ascospores 17–24 × 7–10 μm (x̅ = 22 × 9 μm, n = 20), bi-seriate, ellipsoid to ovoid, broad at the middle, aseptate, initially hyaline, becoming dark brown at maturity, with a large central guttule, without terminal apiculi, smooth-walled, with a distinct mucilaginous sheath. Sexual morph formed in culture after 6 months of incubation: Ascostromata 206–478 μm high × 322–435 μm diam. (x̅ = 321 × 336 μm, n = 10), superficial, covered by mycelium, solitary or gregarious, scattered, uniloculate, globose to subglobose, dark brown to black. Ostiole and Hamathecium not apparent. Peridium comprising several layers of textura angularis, outer layers dark-brown and thick-walled, inner layers hyaline and thin-walled. Ascospores 20–36 × 10–16 µm (x̅ = 32 × 14 µm, n = 20), ellipsoid to ovoid, initially reddish-brown, becoming dark brown at maturity, 2-septate, with two large guttules in center, thick-walled, smooth-walled, ellipsoid to obovoid, with terminal apiculi at both ends. Asexual morph in culture: Coelomycetous. Conidiomata stromatic, pycnidial, superficial, dark brown to black, covered with dense mycelium, on PDA mostly uniloculate, individual or aggregated, thick-walled, ostiolate. Ostiole central, circular, epapillate. Paraphyses arising from the conidiogenous layer, extending above the level of developing conidia, thin-walled, hyaline, usually aseptate, and tip rounded. Conidiophores absent. Conidiogenous cells 6–11 × 3–4 μm, hyaline, thin-walled, smooth, cylindrical, holoblastic. Conidia 26–34 × 14–17 μm (x̅ = 30 × 16 μm, n = 10), thick-walled, initially hyaline, aseptate with longitudinal striations on immature conidia, oval, both ends broadly rounded.

Culture conditions: Ascospores germinating on MEA within 24 hours and germ tube produced from one end of the ascospore. Colonies on MEA and PDA fast growing, reaching 7–8.5 cm diam. after 4 days at 25 °C, white at the edge, grey in the middle with strong radiations outwards. After 24 days of incubation, colonies on MEA and PDA become grey-olivaceous, spongy, hyphae septate, branched, smooth, producing conidiomata and after 6 months of incubation, producing ascomata and ascospores.