Allocryptovalsa truncata – Facesoffungi number: FoF 06262

Allocryptovalsa truncata M. Niranjan & V.V. Sarma, in Hyde et al., Mycosphere 11(1): 572 (2020)

Index Fungorum number:IF 556619; MycoBank number: MB 556619; Facesoffungi number: FoF 06262;

Etymology – Refers to the truncate shape of the ascal apex.

Holotypus – AMH-9983.

Saprobic on decaying twigs. Sexual morph: Stromata superficial, in irregular clusters, beneath the periderm, outer black thin layer, inner white powdery coat around each ascoma. Ascomata 280–400 × 470–620 μm, immersed in pseudostroma, perithecial, coriaceous, subglobose, aggregated, raised individually, ostiolate, periphysate. Ostioles 220–250 × 190–220 μm. Peridium outer brown and inner hyaline layers with cells of textura angularis. Paraphyses septate, unbranched, guttulate, sparsely present. Asci (84–) 89–117(–122) × (10–)12–15(–16.5) μm (  = 103 × 13.9, n = 25), polysporous, unitunicate, clavate, apically obtuse, long pedicellate, apices truncate, broader in the upper region, narrowing towards lower region, with a J-, apical ring, persistent. Ascospores (7)7.2–10.7 × 2.1–2.7 μm ( = 8.7 × 2.4, n = 25), hyaline to brown, allantoid, smooth- walled. Asexual morph: Undetermined.

Culture characteristics – Colonies on malt extract agar (MEA) 46 mm diam. in 4 days at 28°C, white colony, radial, filamentous, raised in center, reverse center brown and white towards edges.

Material examined – INDIA, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, South Andaman, Chidiyatapu (11˚51’90.4” N 92˚65’23.8” E), decaying twig, 10 December 2017, M. Niranjan & V.V. Sarma, AMH-9983, holotype; ex-type living cultures, NFCCI-4520.

GenBank numbers – ITS: MK990279, LSU: MK981538, SSU: MK981535.

Notes – Allocryptovalsa truncata has narrower ascomata and smaller asci and ascospores than the type species, A. polyspora. A unique feature of the new taxon is the ascal apices that are apically, predominantly truncate in contrast to A. polyspora that has rounded apical ends. In the phylogeny (Fig. 4), taxa from Anthostoma, Cryptosphaeria, Cryptovalsa, Diatrype and Eutypella clustered with our new taxon and A. polyspora (strain MFLUC17-0364) nested with our taxon with strong boostrap support (99% in ML).

Figure 97 – Allocryptovalsa truncata (AMH-9983, holotype). a, d Ascomata on host. b Vertical section. c Peridium. e Periphysate neck. f Germinating spores. g, k Ascospores. h-j Asci. l-m Colonies on malt extract agar after 6 days (left) and 30 days (right) (l = from above, m = from below). Scale bars: b =100 μm, c, e, h-j = 50 μm, k =20 μm, g = 10 μm.