Coniochaeta taeniospora (Sacc.) Friebes, Jaklitsch & Voglmayr, Sydowia 68: 91 (2016)

Index Fungorum number: IF 815856; Facesoffungi number: FoF 06779

Saprobic on a dead land branch of Quercus sp. Asexual morph: Undetermined. Sexual morph: Ascomata 350–550 × 450–620 μm (x̅ = 465 × 542 μm), gregarious, more rarely growing solitarily, forming inconspicuous groups, in cracks of bark or erumpent through the bark, perithecial semi-immersed or erumpent, subglobose to ellipsoid, sometimes pyriform or lageniform, black, rough surface, covered with black exudate, ostiole visible in light brown covered with light black surrounding, neck around ostiole brown to black, rarely with unbranched, smooth, gradually tapering to round tip, short setae. Ostiolar neck 1–2 μm wide (x̅ = 1.3 μm, n = 15), papillate, hyaline, aseptate periphyses. Peridium 20–40 μm (x̅ = 29.2 μm, n = 15) thick at base, 50–90 μm (x̅ = 69 μm, n = 15) near the ostiole brittle when dry, soft when rehydrated, two-layered, inner layer 7.5–12.5 × 2–4 μm (x̅ = 9.8 × 2.9 μm, n = 25), consisting of textura prismatica, hyaline to subhyaline, with strongly compressed cells; outer layer 5–10 × 2–4 μm (x̅ = 7.8 × 2.9 μm, n = 25) consisting of densely packed, moderately thick-walled, brown cells of textura intricata, darker towards outside, turning green in 5% KOH. Paraphyses of 2–4 μm wide (x̅ = 2.8 μm, n = 20), filiform, septate. Asci 150–190 × 7–15 μm (x̅ = 170.6 × 9.5 μm, n = 30), 6–8-spored, cylindrical with short pedicel, with small, J- apical ring, more clearly visible in Congo Red. Ascospores 15–20 × 7–11 μm (x̅ = 15.5 × 9 μm, n = 30), l/w 1.7, uniseriate, dark brown, darker in 5% KOH, slightly laterally compressed, ellipsoid to ovoid, with straight germ slit across the entire length, smooth, multi-guttulate, without sheath or appendages.

Material examined – Italy, Province of Forlì-Cesena [FC], Camposonaldo – Santa Sofia, on a fallen dead branch of Quercus sp. (Fagaceae), 13 March 2017, Erio Camporesi IT3275, MFLU 17-0832, HKAS 102311).

GenBank Accession numbers – ITS: MN337230, LSU: MN336234, β-TUB: MN509784.

Known distribution (based on molecular data) – Iran (unpublished), Italy (Friebes et al. 2016), this study).

Known hosts (based on molecular data) – Quercus petraea, Q. robur (Friebes et al. 2016), Quercus sp. (this study).

Notes – Our strain MFLU 17-0832 is similar to the type of Coniochaeta taeniospora epi typified by Friebes et al. (2016).

Figure 1. Coniochaeta taeniospora (MFLU 17-0832, additional collection). a–d Stroma on the host. e Cross section of ascoma. f, g Peridium (g in 5% KOH). h Ostiole in section. i Paraphyses. j, l-o Ascospores (black arrow heads show germ slits). k Ascus apex in Congo Red. p-s Asci. Scale bars: a = 1 mm, b–d = 500 μm, e = 200 μm, h = 100 μm, p–s = 50 μm, f, g = 20 μm, j–o = 10 μm, i = 5 μm.