Murispora cicognanii 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: FoF01108; Index Fungorum number: IF551560

Etymology: Named after Antonio Cicognani, a departed Italian mycologist and the founder of the A.M.B. Gruppo Micologico Forlivese.

Holotype: MFLU 15-2250

Saprobic on dead herbaceous branches in terrestrial habitats. Sexual morph: Ascomata 190-275 μm high 150-250 μm diam. (x̅ = 232.4 × 212.7 μm, n = 10), globose to subglobose, solitary, dark brown to black, immersed, substrate stained purple, fused to the host tissue, ostiolate. ostiole 50-65 μm high 30-60 μm diam. (x̅= 57.8 × 50.2 μm, n = 5) short to papillate, black, smooth, ostiolar canal filled with periphyses-like structures. peridium 9-14 μm wide at the base, 15-20 μm wide at the sides, comprising 3-4 layers of brown to reddish brown cells textura angularis, with inner 1-2 layers of cells thin-walled and hyaline. hamathecium comprising numerous, 1-2 μm (n = 30) wide, filamentous, branched, septate, pseudoparaphyses. Asci 120-135 × 18-23 μm (x̅= 129.9 × 20.9 μm, n = 40), 8-spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindric-clavate, short pedicellate, thick-walled at the apex, with a minute ocular chamber. Ascospores 30-35 × 10-12 μm (x̅ = 34.4 × 10.7 μm, n = 50), overlapping 1-2-seriate, golden yellow turning brown when mature, fusiform, asymmetrical with one side flattened, muriform, with 1-2 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 mucilaginous sheath. Asexual morph: Undetermined.

Fig. Murispora cicognanii (holotype). a. Ascomata on host substrate b. Section of ascoma c. Pseudoparaphyses d. Close up of ostiole e. Peridium f-h. Asci i-l. Ascospores (Note the sheath in i). Scale bars: b = 50 μm, c, e = 10 μm, d, f-h = 20 μm, i-l = 10 μm.