Aniptodera aquibella J. Yang & K.D. Hyde, sp. nov.
Index Fungorum number: IF 551897, Facesoffungi number: FoF 01818, Fig. 1
Etymology – from the Latin aqua = water, bellus = lovely, referring to the freshwater habitat.
Holotype – MFLU 15–1140

Saprobic on decaying, submerged twigs in freshwater habitats, shining on the host surface. Sexual morph Ascomata 130 – 160 × 150 – 200 μm, superficial or immersed, globose or subglobose, scattered, hyaline or greyish, membranous. Neck 80 – 110 × 40 – 60 μm, cylindrical to conical, hyaline, with periphyses. Peridium 7 – 15 μm thick, composing several layers of hyaline-walled cells of textura globosa. Catenophyses sparse, hyaline, septate, consisting of elongated cells, slightly constricted at the septa. Asci 60 – 110 × 25 – 45μm (x̄ = 90 × 30, n = 20), 8-spored, thin-walled, clavate, becoming balloon-shaped or swollen, flattened at apex, tapering to a pointed pedicel, unitunicate, wall thickened at the apex, subapical cytoplasm retracted, mostly persistent, with a J-, apical thickening, which has an apical pore. Ascospores 25 – 30× 7–10μm (x̄ = 28 × 8, n = 50), 1-euseptate, slightly constricted at the septa, thin-walled, hyaline, smooth-walled, ellipsoidal, 2–3-seriate, guttulate, sometimes with indistinct appendages at both ends. Asexual morph Undetermined.

Culture characteristics – Ascospores germinating on PDA within 24 h and germ tubes produced from the poles of both cells. Colony on MEA slow-growing, reaching 5 – 10 mm diam. at 14 days, dark brown in the middle, conspicuous paler and sparser at edge, with dense white mycelium on surface in the middle of colony; in reverse with a dark brown middle and olive-green smooth margin. Mycelium immersed and superficial in the media, composed of branched, septate, smoothwalled, hyaline aerial hyphae and dark brown hyphae near or within the media.

Habitat and distribution – On submerged wood in freshwater, Thailand.

Material examined – THAILAND, Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, Hua Hin, Kaeng Krachan, near Pala-U Waterfall, stream outside national park, on submerged wood, 25 December 2014, Jaap van strien (MFLU 15–1140, holotype), ex-type living culture, MFLUCC 15–0605, GZCC 15–0055.

Notes – The genus Aniptodera was established by Shearer and Miller (1977) with A. chesapeakensis Shearer & M.A. Mill. as the type species. The genus was described as having hyaline or light coloured ascomata, catenophyses, apically thickened persistent asci with a distinct pore and subapical retraction of cytoplasm, and hyaline, thick-walled, 1-septate ascospores with or without appendages (Shearer and Miller 1977; Raja and Shearer 2008). Aniptodera aquibella fits well within Aniptodera. It is most similar to A. chesapeakensis, except that the ascospores are smaller and the ascospore walls are thinner than those of A. chesapeakensis (Shearer and Miller 1977). Aniptodera aquibella differs from other species in the genus by conspicuous differences in the size and shape of asci and ascospores. Aniptodera intermedia K.D. Hyde & Alias has the shortest asci (46 – 62 × 16 – 19 μm) and smallest ascospores (10.5 – 13 × 7 – 8 μm), while A. longispora K.D. Hyde has the longest asci (145 – 201 × 24 – 31 μm) and larger ascospores (39 – 51 × 9 – 13.5 μm) in the genus (Hyde 1990, 1999). Aniptodera megaloascocarpa Raja & Shearer differs distinctly from A. aquibella because it has the largest ascomata (1060 – 1360 × 430 – 530 mm) of all the species in Aniptodera (Raja and Shearer 2008). Aniptodera margarition Shearer and A. mangrovei K.D. Hyde lack any apical thickening and the subapical retraction of cytoplasm and the former also lacks a distinguishable apical pore characteristic of all Aniptodera species (Shearer 1989). Aniptodera triseptata K.D. Hyde is the only species with 3-septate ascospores in the genus (Hyde 2002).

Fig. 1 Aniptodera aquibella (holotype) a, b Appaerance of ascomata on submerged wood c Section of an ascoma d Section through peridium e Peridium in surface view f Surface of periphysate neck g – k Asci l – q Ascospores r Catenophyses s Germinated spore t – u Culture on MEA t from above. Scale bars: a = 100 μm, b – c = 50 μm, d – e, h = 20 μm, f – g, i – k, s = 30 μm, l – q = 15 μm, r = 10 μm.