Nodulosphaeria digitalis W.J. Li, Camporesi, Bhat & K.D. Hyde, in Li et al., Mycosphere 6(6): 683 (2015)
Index Fungorum number: IF 551664; MycoBank number: MB 551664; Facesoffungi number: FoF 01302; Fig. 1
= Nodulosphaeria thalictri D. Pem, Camporesi & K.D. Hyde, in Hyde et al., Fungal Diversity: https://doi.org/10. 1007/s13225-019-00429-2, [56] (2019)
Saprobic on stem of Solidago virgaurea. Sexual morph: Ascomata 185–200 µm high, 200–225 µm diam. (x̅=192.3×213.1 µm, n=5), appearing as black dots on host surface, immersed, unilocular, perithecial, solitary, usually scattered, globose to subglobose, dark brown, ostiolate. Ostioles 45–55 µm wide (x̅=52.2 µm, n=5), centric, comprising internal dark brown setae. Ascomatal wall 14–23 µm at the sides and base, 4–5-layered; 25–35 µm near the apex, 5–7-layered; outer layers made up of thick-walled, dark brown cells of textura angularis, innermost layer comprising thin-walled, pale brown to hyaline cells of textura angularis or flattened cells. Pseudoparaphyses 1–3 µm wide, numerous, filiform, hyaline, branched. Asci 55–90 × 8–12 µm (x̅=74.1×9.2 µm, n=40), 8-spored, bitunicate, cylindricclavate, slightly curved, sessile to short-pedicellate, apically rounded with a minute ocular chamber. Ascospores (17–)20–27×3–4 µm (x̅=22.6×3.7 µm, n=45), overlapping 1–2-seriate, hyaline when immature, becoming yellowish-brown at maturity, long fusiform, ellipsoidal to subcylindrical, straight or slightly curved, with 4–5 transverse septa, second cell from the apex slightly swollen, constricted at second septum from the apex, thick- and smooth-walled, with rounded ends, with hyaline appendages (1–2.5 µm long, 2.5–4 µm wide) at both ends. Asexual morph: Illustrated
in Li et al. (2015).
Material examined – Italy, Forlì Cesena, Valico del Tramazzo, on dead aerial stem of Solidago virgaurea L. (Asteraceae), 19 June 2021, Erio Camporesi, IT4714 (MFLU 22-0278)
Hosts – Campanula trachelium (Campanulaceae, Chaiwan et al. 2019), Dactylis sp. (Poaceae, Li et al. 2015), Solidago virgaurea (Asteraceae, this study), Thalictrum sp. (Ranunculaceae, Hyde et al. 2019)
Distribution – Italy (Li et al. 2015; Chaiwan et al. 2019; Hyde et al. 2019; this study)
GenBank numbers – ON873995 (LSU); ON873997(ITS); ON885742 (tef1)
Notes – The strain MFLU 22-0278 clustered with the strains Nodulosphaeria digitalis MFLUCC 15-2716 (type strain) and MFLUCC 17-2418, and Nodulosphaeria thalictri MFLUCC 18-1138 with a good statistical support (99% ML, 0.98 BYPP) in the SSU-LSU-ITS-tef1 phylogenetic tree. Pairwise comparison among the two strains of N. digitalis MFLUCC 15-2716 and MFLUCC 17-2418, and N. thalictri MFLUCC 18-1138 is as follows: one base pair (bp) difference out of 1000 bp (0.1%) in SSU between N. thalictri MFLUCC 18-1138 and N. digitalis MFLUCC 17-2418; no bp difference among the three strains out of 844 bp in LSU and 504 bp in ITS respectively; two bp differences out of 891 bp (0.2%) in tef1 between N. thalictri MFLUCC 18-1138 and N. digitalis MFLUCC 17-2418. The pairwise identity therefore reveals insignificant differences among the three strains (N. digitalis MFLUCC 15-2716 and MFLUCC 17-2418, and N. thalictri MFLUCC 18-1138) according to Jeewon and Hyde (2016). Therefore, N. thalictri MFLUCC 18-1138 is another strain of N. digitalis.
Figure 1 – Nodulosphaeriadigitalis (MFLU 22-0278). a Ascomata on dead aerial stem of Solidago virgaurea. b Close-up of ascomata on host. c Vertical section through an ascoma. d Close-up of an ostiole. e Vertical section of ascomatal wall. f Pseudoparaphyses. g–i Immature and mature asci. j–l Immature and mature ascospores (j, l arrows indicate appendages). Scale bars: a–c=100 µm, d, g–i=20 µm, e, j–l=10 µm, f=3 µm