Gary J. Samuels

Preliminary study of endophytic fungi in a tropical palm

Endophytic fungi were isolated for the first time from a tropical palm tree, Licuala ramsayi . Eleven fungi, mostly Xylariaceous anamorphs, were isolated. A new species, Idriella licualae , is described. Brief descriptions of unidentified species of Nodulisporium, Phomopsis , and Stagonospora , and an unusual isolate of Fusarium aquaeductuum are provided.

Variation in Nectria radicicola and its anamorph, Cylindrocarpon destructans.

Nectria radicicola is characterized by its distinctive perithecial morphology and anatomy, and by its anamorph, Cylindrocarpon destructans. Several collections readily identified as N. radicicola were made in New Zealand, Indonesia, and Venezuela. Pure cultures derived from ascospores isolated from these collections showed considerable variation in cultural and morphological characteristics. The anamorph, Cylindrocarpon destructans var. destructans, is characterized by a fast growth rate and by the formation of discrete chlamydospores. It is distinguished from C. destructans var. coprosmae (C. Booth) comb. nov., which has a slower growth rate and does not form discrete chlamydospores. Cylindrocarpon destructans var. coprosmae is the anamorph of N. radicicola var. coprosmae (Dingley) stat. nov. Cylindrocarpon macroconidialis sp. nov., the anamorph of N. radicicola var. nuicroconidialis var. nov., is distinguished by larger macroconidia. Other variants of C. destructans are discussed but are not given separate taxonomic status because they are based on single collections. Nectria austroradicicota sp. nov. is distinguished from N. radicicola by having much larger ascospores and by its anamorph, C. auslrodestruclans sp. nov.

BOLETICOLOUS SPECIES OF HYPOMYCES

Ten species of Hypomyces (Ascomycotina, Hypocreales, Hypocreaceae) occur on members of the Boletaceae (Basidiomycotina, Agaricales). Five new species, viz. H. badius, H. boletiphagus, H. chlorinigenus, H. melanochlorus, and H. microspermus are described. One new combination, H. completus, is made. All species have a proven (five species) or associated (five species) anamorph referable to Sepedonium. The five species grown in culture from isolated ascospores produced hyphomycetous synanamorphs, and synanamorphs have been detected in collections of the other five species. The boleticolous species ofHypomyces (Fries) L.-R. Tulasne (1860) have the features typical of the Hypocreales, Hypocreaceae as given by Rogerson (1970). These are soft, fleshy, globose, obovoid to obpyriform, typically papillate, brightly colored, periphysate perithecia, a basal hymenium of apical paraphyses in early stages of development and a centrum filled with unitunicate asci at maturity. Distinctive characteristics of Hypomyces include: a well developed subiculum; perithecia with a wall composed of a single region of cells with cells of papilla arranged in diverging files, the terminal cells of which are usually en? larged and clavate becoming progressively narrower toward the ostiolar canal and there merging with the periphyses; cylindrical non-amyloid, 8-spored asci with an apical pore; hyaline, fusiform, typically verrucose and often apiculate ascospores that are uniseriately arranged in asci; and a fungicolous habit. Although presence of a well-developed subiculum is a typical feature of species of Hypomyces, considerable variation in density, texture, color, etc, occurs within and between species. Often, when perithecia are mature, the subiculum is not discernible. In the bo? leticolous species the subiculum is at first white and loose, then it becomes dense, cottony, and colored; it does not become compacted and more or less stromatic as it does in some non-boleti

Ascomycetes of New Zealand 8. Xylaria

Abstract A floristic monograph of the genus Xylaria (Fungi, Ascomycetes) in New Zealand is presented. Nineteen taxa are recorded including one new species, X. wellingtonensis; two new varieties, X. luteostromata var. macrospora and X. theissenii var. macrospora; and two unnamed taxa related to X. filiformis. Cultural characteristics and anamorphs are described for most of the taxa. Most species of New Zealand Xylaria differ, often subtly, from the same species found elsewhere. These differences are recorded or discussed in the notes following formal descriptions of taxa.

The Myxomyceticolous Species of Nectria

SUMMARY A key to the five species of Nectria that develop on sporangia or aethalia of Myxomycetes and a description of each species and its imperfect state (when known) are given. Two new species, Nectria hirsuta and Nectria sporangiicola, are described. Nectria myxomyceticola nom. nov. (Hypomyces exiguus Pat.), Nectria candicans (Plowr.) comb. nov. (Hypomyces candicans Plowr.), Acremonium fungicola (Sacc.) stat. nov. (Diplosporium album var. fungicolum Sacc.), and Stilbella tomentosa var. ovalispora (A. L. Smith) Rogerson comb. nov. (Stilbum tomentosum var. ovalispora A. L. Smith) are proposed. Four species have been grown in culture from solitary ascospores and their characteristics in culture are described. A discussion of the genera Nectriopsis Maire and Hyphonectria (Sacc.) Petch is included. The haploid chromosome number of 4 is reported for Nectria violacea and N. candicans.

NECTRIA AND PENICILLIFER

The new species Nectria alata and N. penicilliferi (Ascomycetes, Hypocreales) and their anamorphs, respectively, Penicillifer bipapillatus sp. nov. and P. macrosporus sp. nov., are described. This is the first connection of Penicillifer species to teleomorphs. The generic concept of Penicillifer is restricted to anamorphs of Nectria species having conidiophores that: 1) are unbranched and monophialidic; 2) bear a terminal penicillus of phialides; or 3) are once- or twice-branched with each branch bearing a terminal penicillus of phialides. Conidia are cylindrical, 1-septate, bipapillate, and joined end to end in chains that ultimately break down, leaving the conidia adherent in slime. Colonies in agar culture produce a diffusing brown pigment. A key to accepted species of Penicillifer is presented, as is a key to genera and species of hyphomycetes that have colorless or lightly colored, mononematous conidiophores and slimy chains of colorless conidia. Two distinctive species ofNectria collected in the American tropics were grown in pure culture from isolated ascospores. Both species produced anamorphs identified as Penicillifer van Emden. These Nectria species and their anamorphs are described below. Taxonomy of Penicillifer is clarified, and its relationship to Nectria is discussed. A key to accepted species of Penicillifer is presented, as is a key to the hyphomycetes known to produce colorless conidia in slimy chains.

Batistia annulipes and its anamorph, Acrostroma annellosynnema

Batistia annulipes was grown in pure culture. Phialophora-like conidiophores formed in agar cultures derived from isolated ascospores, followed by synnemata of Acrostroma annellosynnema. Synnemata of Acrostroma annellosynnema were also found in nature associated with ascomata of B. annulipes. The conidiophores of A. annellosynnema found in vivo and in vitro were identical to the Phialophoralike conidiophores found in vitro. Although B. annulipes is a highly distinctive ascomycete, the morphological characters of the teleomorph are generalized to such an extent that it is difficult to see relationships for the fungus. That there is a phialidic anamorph in its life-cycle indicates that B. annulipes is not a member of the Xylariaceae and that it should be classified in the Sordariales, where it is placed

Species of Nectria (Ascomycetes, Hypocreales) having orange perithecia and colorless, striate ascospores

Nine species ofNectria are described or redescribed. Ascospores of all are colorless and striates; their perithecia are orange and do not become red in KOH. Three groups of species are represented. One group includesNectria grammicospora, N. cf.grammicospora, N. subquaternata, and the new species:N. grammicosporopsis, N. lucifer, andN. neogrammicospora. A second group includes the new speciesN. chlorogloea andN. septomyrotheciae. The third group is represented by the single new speciesN. dacryocarpa. The life-cycles of these species are described. Anamorphs ofN. grammicospora, N. grammicosporopsis, N. lucifer, andN. subquaternata are species ofClonostachys. The anamorph, ofN. neogrammicospora isAcremonium- orCephalosporiopsis-like in having monophialidic conidiophores and phragmosporous conidia, and that ofN. cf.grammicospora isAcremonium-like with amerosporous conidia. The anamorphs ofN. chlorogloea andN. septomyrotheciae have green conidia. The anamorph ofN. chlorogloea isMyrothecium sp.; its conidia are unicellular and the conidioma is a synemma. The anamorph ofN. septomyrotheciae isSeptomyrothecium cf.uniseptatum; its conidioma is a sporodochium and the conidia are bicellular. The new genus and speciesDacryoma alba are described for the anamorph ofN. dacryocarpa. All of these fungi are pantropical or Australasian in distribution.

Some ascomycetes (fungi) occurring on tropical ferns

The new combination Eudimeriolum cyathearum is proposed for Dimeriella cyathearum; the fungus is found on pinnae of Cyathea caudata in the Philippine Islands. Dimeriella polypodii is described from scales on pinnae of Polypodium montigenum and P. madrense in Mexico. Bioscypha cyatheae, on pinnae of Cyathea sp. in Costa Rica, is redescribed. Bioscypha pteridicola is described from pinnae of Cnemidaria uleana var. abitaguensis in Colombia. Crocicreas sessilis is described from pinnae of Cyathea divergens var. tuerckheimii in Mexico.

Apiocamarops Cryptocellula, A New Species from Guyana

nulatum, F. succisae, F. proliferatum, and F. anthophilum appear conspecific with the teleomorph Gibberella subglutinans. Strains of these anamorph species show considerable divergence but some clearly represent distinct genetic varieties, e.g., F. fujikuroi and F. subglutinans. 3. Members of the F. oxysporum group are, as indicated by both morphology and nuclear DNA relatedness, near relatives of the section Liseola.