Longipedicellata aquatica W. Dong, H. Zhang & K.D. Hyde, in Dong et al., Fungal Diversity 105: 435 (2020)
Index Fungorum number: IF 557915; MycoBank number: MB 557915; Facesoffungi number: FoF 09257; Fig. 1
Saprobic on submerged decaying wood in the river. Sexual morph Ascomata 138–278 μm high, 148–276 μm diam., scattered, gregarious, immersed to, erumpent through the host surface, uni-loculate, sometimes bi-loculate, subglobose, dark brown to black, ostiolate. Peridium 15–25 μm thick, composed of several layers of brown to black cells of textura angularis. Hamathecium composed of sparse, anastomosed pseudoparaphyses, indistinctly septate. Asci 53–84×17–32 μm (x̅=68×23 μm, n=20), 8-spored, bitunicate, broadly clavate to spatulate, thickness and rounded at the apex, with a minute ocular chamber, short to long pedicellate. Ascospores 20–25×7–10 μm (x̅=22 × 8 µm, n=20), 2–3-seriate overlapping, broadly fusiform to ellipsoidal, rounded at both ends, asymmetrical, hyaline, 1-septate, constricted at the septum, the upper cell slightly broader and shorter than the lower cell, with large distinctive guttule in each cell when immature, surrounded by thickened mucilaginous sheath, smooth-walled. Asexual morph: Undetermined.
Culture characteristics – Ascospores germinating on MEA within 12 h at room temperature. Colony reaching 3 cm diam., dense, entire to slightly undulate edge, raised, dark grey, fluffy with aerial mycelium, with a lobate at the centre from above, darkened from reverse.
Material examined – THAILAND, Chiang Mai, Mae Ai, Tha Ton, Kok River, on submerged decaying wood in the river shore, 9 December 2019, S. Boonmee and N. Huanraluek, N-KR7 (MFLU 21-0060, new record), living culture, MFLUCC 21-0083; N-KR11 (MFLU 21-0096), living culture, MFLUCC 21-0100; Chiang Rai Province, Wiang Pa Pao, Lao River, on submerged decaying wood in the river shore, 11 December 2019, S. Boonmee and K.S.U. Chandrasiri, LR6 (MFLU 21-0061), living culture, MFLUCC 21-0084.
GenBank numbers – LR6: ITS = MZ538511, LSU = MZ538545, TEF1-α = MZ567089; N-KR7: ITS = MZ538510, LSU = MZ538544, SSU = MZ538571, TEF1-α = MZ567088; N-KR11: ITS= MZ538509, LSU = MZ538543, SSU = MZ538570, TEF1-α=MZ567087.
Notes – Multigene phylogenetic analysis of a combined LSU, ITS, TEF1-α and SSU sequence dataset indicates that our three new collections (MFLUCC 21-0083, MFLUCC 21-0084 and MFLUCC 21-0100) grouped with the ex-type strain Longipedicellata aquatica MFLUCC 17-2334 and other isolates with 79% MLBS, 0.97 BYPP; 79% MLBS and 96% MLBS support clade, respectively (Fig. 2). The morphological characters of the three new collections such as dark and immersed ascomata with apical erumpent ostiole, broadly clavate to spatulate, long pedicellate asci and broadly fusiform to ellipsoidal, hyaline, 1-septate, ascospores with a large distinctive guttule and surrounded by a mucilaginous sheath (Fig. 1) are similar to the ex-type strain MFLUCC 17-2334 (Dong et al. 2020a). Therefore, our three new collections as new freshwater records from Thailand.
Figure 1 – Longipedicellata aquatica (MFLU 21-0060, new record). a Appearance of ascomata on submerged wood. b Section through ascomata. c Section of peridium. d Pseudoparaphyses. e–h Asci. i–n Ascospores. o Ascospore stained in Nigrosin. p Ascospore stained in Indian Ink. q Geminated ascospore. r, s Culture on MEA (r=from above, s=from below). Scale bars: b=50 μm, c–h, q=20 μm, i–p=10 μm
Figure 2 – Phylogram generated from maximum likelihood analysis based on combined LSU, ITS, TEF1-α and SSU sequence data of genera in Longipedicellataceae. The tree is rooted with Bambusicola bambusae (MFLUCC 11-0614). Bootstrap support values for maximum likelihood (MLBS, left) equal to or greater than 70% is given above the nodes. Bayesian posterior probabilities (BYPP, right) equal to or greater than 0.95 are given above the nodes. Ex-type strains are in bold and newly generated sequences are in blue