Cylindrotorula indica Rajeshkumar, Wijayaw., Bhat, N. Ashtekar & S. Lad, sp. nov.

MycoBank number: MB 557636; Index Fungorum number: IF 557636; Facesoffungi number: FoF 08025; Figs. 73, 74, 75

Etymology: Named after India, the country where this fungus is native.

Holotype: AMH 10228

Saprobic on decaying Cocos nucifera spathe. Sexual morph Undetermined. Asexual morph Hyphomycetous. Conidiomata sporodochial, scattered, greyish, dark greyish brown or dark brown. Conidiophores micronematous, mon- onematous, reduced, cylindrical, smooth, erect, unbranched or rarely branched, 0–1-septate, 3.5–12 × 2.8–4 μm. Conid- iogenous cells cylindrical or button-shaped, form primary and secondary conidia. Primary conidia arising holoblastically, elongated, cylindrical, wavy or undulated or flexuous, smooth at base, verruculose above, pale to dark-brown, unbranched, phragmo-septate, 5–10-septate, 68–125 × 3–4.5 μm. Sec- ondary conidia two types, globose and cylindrical or fin- ger-shaped, arising from primary conidia at intercalary, monotretic, non-cicatrized conidiogenous loci, globose or elongated, slightly curved, aseptate, smooth, verrucose or verruculose, thin-walled, brown. Micrometry globose sec- ondary conidia, 3.5–5 × 3.5–5 μm, cylindrical or finger-shaped conidia, 9.5–30 × 2.5–3.5 μm.

Culture characteristics: Colonies on MEA at 25 ± 2 °C reaching 30–35 mm diam. after 1 month; initially aerial mycelium white to brownish grey (4D2), velutinous, in old cultures brownish grey (4D2) with olive grey (4E4) mar- gin; reverse dark grey (4F1). Soluble pigments and exudates absent. Colour codes and names used in descriptions are from Kornerup and Wanscher (1978).

Material examined: INDIA, Maharashtra, Thane (19°13′13″ N 72°57′17″ E, ± 23 msl), on decaying spathe of Cocos nucifera (Arecacceae), July 2018, K.C. Rajeshkumar and S. Lad, AMH 10228 (holotype), ex-type living culture NFCCI 4836; ibid., NFCCI 4837.

GenBank numbers: NFCCI 4836: ITS = MT339444, LSU =MT339442, RPB2 =MT321490, TEF1-α =MT321492; NFCCI 4837: ITS = MT339445, LSU = MT339443, RPB2 = MT321491, TEF1-α = MT321493.

Dendryphion Wallr.

Notes: Dendryphion was introduced by Wallroth (1833) and is typified by Dendryphion comosum Wallr. The genus is characterized by having erect, solitary, polytretic conidiophores, branched in upper part, forming septate, pigmented, thick-walled, finely roughened stipe and a distinct conidiogenous apparatus, with dark scars and catenate, in simple or branched chains of brown, septate (didymo- or cheiro) conidia (Crous et al. 2015; Su et al. 2016, 2018; Li et al. 2020a). Species of Dendryphion are saprobic on dead stems of herbaceous plants and decaying wood, and also grows on submerged decaying wood in freshwater habitats (Su et al. 2016, 2018; Li et al. 2020a). There are 85 Dendryphion epithets listed in Index Fungorum (2021) but only 36 species are accepted in Dendryphion (Species Fungorum 2021), and only seven species have DNA sequences available in the GenBank database.

Fig. 73 Cylindrotorula indica (AMH 10228, holotype). ad Sporodochial conidiomata on natural substrate. Scale bars: ad = 100 µm

Fig. 74 Cylindrotorula indica (AMH 10228, holotype). ac SEM of conidiomata showing conidiophores and primary conidia. d Cylindrical elongated primary conidium. e Globose secondary conidium. f Base of primary conidium. g Secondary conidial development of primary conidia. Scale bars: a, c, d, g = 2 µm, b = 1 µm, e = 200 nm, f = 1 µm

Fig. 75 Cylindrotorula indica (AMH 10228, holotype). a, b Sporodochial conidiomata. cg Primary conidia with monotretic secondary conidia. h, i Dark thick hilum of primary conidia. j, k Pleomorphic secondary conidia. l, m Monotretic secondary conidial development. n, o Branched conidiophore with primary conidia. Scale bars: ao = 10 µm