Coniochaeta velutina (Fuckel) Cooke, Grevillea 16(no. 77): 16 (1887)

Index Fungorum number: IF 295496; MycoBank number: MB 295496; Facesoffungi number: FoF 10626;

≡ Rosellinia velutina Fuckel, Jb. Nassau. Ver. Naturk. 23-24: 49. 1870.

≡ Helminthosphaeria velutina (Fuckel) Kirschst., Trans. Brit. Mycol. Soc. 18: 305. 1934.

Endophyte on healthy leaves of Phyllostachys viridis (L.). Sexual morph: Undetermined. Asexual morph: Hyphomycetous. Conidiogenous cells hyaline, flask or acicular in shape, measuring 1.0–2.5 × 1.5–2.5 μm (x̄ = 1.5 × 2.5 μm, n = 11). Conidia hyaline, smooth-walled, ellipsoidal, 2.5–5.5 × 1.5–4 μm (x̄ = 3.8 × 2.8 μm, n = 50). Chlamydospore solitary or in short chains, hyaline, thick-walled, elongate ellipsoidal or almost globose in shape, measuring 3–4.5 × 3.5–4.5 μm (x̄ = 3.5 × 4 μm, n = 2).

Culture characteristics – Conidia germinated on PDA within 12 hours at 25°C, growing slowly, reaching 4 cm diam. after 14 days at 28 °C, the whole is circular, for above, divided into two layers, the top layer is gray and white, and the bottom layer is gray. for the reverse, the centre is dark yellow, toward the edges, then the colour gradually becomes lighter, and the margin is white, circular, flat, scattered, partially immersed in the medium, the centre of the colony slightly bulging.

Material examined – China, Guangdong Province, guangzhou City, South China Botanical Garden, isolated from healthy leaves of Phyllostachys viridis (R. A. Young) McClure (Poaceae), 17 June 2020, HJ. Zhao & M. Luo (ZHKUCC 21-0112, new host record); living cultures, ZHKUCC 21-0112 and ZHKUCC 21-0113.

GenBank numbers –ITS: OL764359, LSU: OL763831.

Notes – The strain ZHKUCC 21-0112 and ZHKUCC 21-0113, isolated and described in this study, was morphologically similar to Coniochaeta velutina ((Fuckel) Cooke, 1887). In the phylogenetic analysis, our new strains clustered with Coniochaeta velutina (CBS 981.68) with 99% ML and 0.99 BYPP supported (Fig. 38). The two Coniochaeta velutina strains (ZHKUCC 21-0112 and CBS 981.68) had only two base pair differences in the ITS and LSU regions. The two isolates were different only by cultural colour. Based on this trivial difference in morphological and molecular data, we introduced our isolate (ZHKUCC 21-0112 and ZHKUCC 21-0113) as a new host record for Phyllostachys viridis.

Figure 1 – Coniochaeta velutina (ZHKUCC 21-0112: New host record) a, b cultures on PDA from the surface and reverse. c, d conidiogenous cells. e, f conidiogenous cell that is producing conidia. g chlamydospores. h-j conidia. Scale bars: 10 μm.