Murispora cardui Wanasinghe, Camporesi, E.B.G. Jones & K.D. Hyde, in Wanasinghe, Jones, Camporesi, Wijayawardene, Mortimer, Xu, Bahkali & Hyde, Cryptog. Mycol. 36(4): 437 (2015)
Facesoffungi Number: FoF01106; Index Fungorum number: IF551558
Etymology: Name reflects the host genus Carduus, from which the species was collected.
Holotype: MFLU 15-2248
Saprobic on dead herbaceous branches in terrestrial habitats. Sexual morph: Ascomata 180-250 μmhigh 200-300 μmdiam. (x̅ =201.3 × 244.7 μm,n = 10), globose to subglobose, solitary, dark brown to black, erumpent to nearly superficial, substrate stained purple, fused to the host tissue, ostiolate. ostiole 60-80 μm high 45-80 μm diam. (x̅ = 61.2 × 62.1 μm, n = 5), short to papillate, black, smooth, ostiolar canal filled with hyphae. Peridium 7-11 μmwide at the base, 15-25 μm wide in sides, thin-walled, comprising 3-6 layers of dark brown to black cells of textura angularis. Hamathecium comprising numerous, 1-1.5 μm (n = 30) wide, narrow, filamentous, branched, septate, pseudoparaphyses. Asci 150-180 × 25-35 μm (x̅ = 169.1 × 29.7 μm, n = 40), 8-spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindric-clavate, short pedicellate, thick-walled at the apex, with a minute ocular chamber. Ascospores 30-35 × 11-14 μm (x̅ = 33.6 × 12.3 μm, n = 50), overlapping 1-2-seriate, hyaline when young, becoming dark brown at maturity, ellipsoidal to curved-fusoid, asymmetrical with one side flattened, muriform, with 1-3 longitudinal septa in all cells and rarely in end cells, slightly constricted at the middle septum, conical and narrowly rounded at the ends, surrounded by a wide mucilaginous sheath. Asexual morph: Undetermined.
Fig. Murispora cardui (holotype). a. Ascomata on host substrate b. Section of ascoma c. Peridium d. Close up of ostiole e. Pseudoparaphyses f-h. Asci i-m. Ascospores (Note the sheath in m). Scale bars: b = 50 μm, c, d = 20 μm, e = 5 μm, f-h = 20 μm, i–m = 10 μm.