Murispora medicaginicola 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: FoF01107; Index Fungorum number: IF551559
Etymology: Name reflects the host genus Medicago, from which the species was isolated.
Holotype: 15-2249
Saprobic on dead herbaceous branches in terrestrial habitats. Sexual morph: Ascomata 220-280 μm high 150-250 μm diam. (x̅ = 244.6 × 213.3 μm, n = 10), globose to subglobose, solitary, dark brown to black, immersed, substrate stained purple, fused to the host tissue, ostiolate. ostiole 90-110 μm high 60-80 μm diam. (x̅= 100.6 × 68.5 μm, n = 5) papillate, black, smooth, ostiolar canal filled with sparse periphyses that curve upwards. peridium 10-18 μm wide at the base, 12- 20 μm wide on sides, comprising 3-4 layers of brown to reddish brown cells of textura angularis. hamathecium comprising numerous, 1.5-3 μm (n = 30) wide, filamentous, branched, septate, pseudoparaphyses. Asci 140-170 × 22-24 μm (x̅ = 145.5 × 21.4 μm, n = 40), 8-spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindric-clavate, short pedicellate, thick-walled at the apex, with a minute ocular chamber. Ascospores 28-32 × 10-15 μm (x̅ = 29.6 × 11.2 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 2-3 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 mucilaginous sheath. Asexual morph: Undetermined.
Fig. Murispora medicaginicola (holotype). a. Ascomata on host substrate b. Section of ascoma c. Pseudoparaphyses d. Close up of ostiole e. Peridium f-h. Asci i-m. Ascospores. Scale bars: b = 50 μm, c, e = 10 μm, d, f-h = 20 μm, i-m = 10 μm.