Aklioshbomyces papillarum Hanafy, Vikram B. Lanjekar, Prashant K. Dhakephalkar, T.M. Callaghan, Dagar, G.W. Griff., Elshahed & N.H. Youssef, sp. nov.
MycoBank number: MB 830736; Index Fungorum number: IF 830736; Facesoffungi number: FoF;
Typification: The holotype (FIG. 3m) was derived from the following: USA. OKLAHOMA: Payne County, 36.145°N, 97.007°W, ~300 m asl, 3-d-old culture of isolate WT-2, originally isolated from freshly deposited feces of female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), Oct 2017, Radwa Hanafy. Ex-type strain: WT-2. GenBank: MK882001 (D1–D2 28S rDNA).
Etymology: The species epithet “papillarum” refers to the papillae observed on the majority of strain WT-2 sporangia (FIG. 3m–q).
Obligate anaerobic fungus that produces globose monoflagellate zoospores with an average diameter of 7.4 ± 2.4 μm. The majority of zoospores are mono- flagellate, with zoospores with two to three flagella less frequently observed. Fungal thalli are consistently monocentric with filamentous anucleate rhizoids. Germination of zoospores produces two types of monocentric thalli, endogenous and exogenous. Endogenous sporangia with single and two adjacent rhizoidal systems are observed. Pseudointercalary endogenous sporangia are occasionally observed. Sporangiophores carrying exogenous sporangia exhibit varying lengths from a few microns to 230 μm.
Endogenous and exogenous sporangia are ovoid, globose, obpyriform, and ellipsoidal. Sporangia are mostly papillated, with one or two papillae. Produces beige, circular colonies with a brown central core of dense sporangial structures and an outer ring of light gray hyphal growth on agar, and heavy growth of thick biofilms that firmly attached to the tube’s glass surface in liquid media. The clade is defined by the sequences MK882038–MK882042 (ITS1) and MK882001 (D1–D2 28S rDNA).
Additional specimens examined: USA. OKLAHOMA: Payne County, 36.145°N, 97.007°W, ~300 m asl, 3-d-old culture of isolates WT-1, WT-3, WT-4, WT- 41, WTS-51, WTS-52, WTS-53, and WTS-54, originally isolated from freshly deposited feces of female white- tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), Oct 2017, Radwa Hanafy. GenBank (D1–D2 28S rDNA): WT-1 (MK882000), WT-3 (MK881998), WT-4 (MK881999), WT-41 (MK882002), WTS-51 (MK882006), WTS-52 (MK882003), WTS-53 (MK882004), and WTS-54 (MK882005).
Figure 3. Microscopic features of Aklioshbomyces papillarum (clade 2, white-tailed deer) strain WT-2 (W-OK). Light (a–e, g–q) and scanning electron (f) micrographs. Light microscopy images were examined after staining with lactophenol cotton blue (a–c, e, g–q), as well as following staining of nuclei with DAPI (d). a. A monoflagellate zoospore. b. A biflagellate zoospore. c. A triflagellate zoospore. d. Monocentric thalli, with nuclei occurring in sporangia, not in rhizoids or sporangiophores. e–g. Endogenous sporangial development: e. Ovoid sporangium with single rhizoidal system. f. Ovoid sporangium with two main rhizoidal systems. g. Globose pseudointercalary sporangium, between two main rhizoidal systems. h–k. Exogenous sporangial development: h. Globose sporangium on a very short sporangiophore. i. Ellipsoidal sporangium. j. Obpyriform sporangium on a long sporangiophore. k. Obpyriform sporangium. l. Ellipsoidal sporangium. m. Sporangia with lateral single papilla. n–p. Sporangia with terminal single papilla. q. Sporangium with two papillae. Bars: a–c, e, f, n, o = 20 μm; g–k, p, q = 50 μm; d, l, m = 100 μm.