Nothodevriesia narthecii Crous & Boers, in Crous et al., Persoonia 48: 283 (2022)

Index Fungorum Number: IF 844259, MycoBank Number: MB 844259, Facesoffungi Number: FoF 15854

Etymology – Name refers to the host genus Narthecium from which it was isolated.

Leaf spots absent, associated with leaf litter. Ascomata pseudothecial, amphigenous, immersed to erumpent, superficial, globose, 30–45 µm diam, ostiole inconspicuous; ascomata linked by immersed brown hyphal network; hyphae medium brown, smooth, 4–5 µm diam, constricted at septa; ascomatal wall consisting of 2–3 layers of medium brown textura angularis. Asci aparaphysate, bitunicate, subsessile, obovoid to broadly ellipsoid, 8-spored, 15–20 × 9–10 µm. Ascospores multiseriate, overlapping, hyaline to pale brown (verruculose upon discharge), guttulate, thin-walled, straight, obovoid, ends obtuse, widest in middle of apical cell, medianly 1-septate, constricted at septum, tapering towards both ends, but more prominently towards lower end, (7–)8–9(–10) × (2.5–)3 µm. Germinating from one end, with germ tube at an angle to the long axis.

Culture characteristics — Colonies erumpent, spreading, surface folded with moderate aerial mycelium and lobate, even margin, reaching 4 mm diam after 2 wk at 25 °C. On MEA, PDA and OA surface and reverse iron-grey.

Typus – Netherlands, Drenthe Province, Dwingelderveld National Park, 52.829188, 6.432495, on dead leaves of Narthecium ossifragum (Nartheciaceae), 13 July 2021, J. Boers, HPC 3655 (holotype CBS H-24985, cultures ex-type CPC 42166 = CBS 149066.

GenBank Accession Numbers – ITS: ON603779, LSU: ON603799, actA: ON605621, rpb2: ON605623, tef1: ON605631, tub2: ON605639

Notes — Nothodevriesia narthecii represents a sexual morph in the Teratosphaeriaceae occurring on the dead leaves of Narthecium ossifragum. Although related, it is morphologically and phylogenetically distinct from Devriesia, which includes hyphomycetous species that are soil-borne, as well as saprobic taxa found in dead plant material (Seifert et al. 2004, Crous & Groenewald 2011, Chang et al. 2022). Based on a megablast search of NCBIs GenBank nucleotide database, the closest hits using the ITS sequence had highest similarity to Phaeothecoidea melaleuca (strain CPC 17223, GenBank HQ599594.1; Identities = 444/501 (89 %), 11 gaps (2 %)), Teratosphaeria jonkershoekensis (strain CBS 122897, GenBank EU707864.1; Identities = 443/503 (88 %), 14 gaps (2 %)) and Neocatenulostroma microsporum (strain HFJN1, GenBank MH349092.1; Identities = 433/485 (89 %), 13 gaps (2 %)). Closest hits using the LSU sequence are Devriesia thermodurans (strain CBS 115878, GenBank NG_059078.1; Identities = 802/833 (96 %), no gaps), Teratosphaeria hortaea (strain CBS 124156, GenBank MH874881.1; Identities = 798/834 (96 %), five gaps (0 %)) and Readeriella considenianae (strain CMW37676, GenBank JQ732948.1; Identities = 798/834(96 %), five gaps (0 %)). Closest hits using the actA sequence had highest similarity to Neocatenulostroma germanicum (strain CAT104, GenBank KU612288.1; Identities = 444/508 (87 %), 12 gaps (2 %)), Teratosphaeria dunnii (strain CBS 145548, GenBank MK876463.1; Identities = 372/404 (92 %), no gaps) and Teratosphaeria gracilis (strain CBS 145090, GenBank MK047523.1; Identities = 442/507 (87 %), nine gaps (1 %)). Closest hits using the rpb2 sequence had the highest similarity to Teratosphaeria corymbiicola (strain CBS 146047, GenBank MN556802.1; Identities = 472/623 (76 %), ten gaps (1 %)), Teratosphaeria eucalypti (strain CPC 12552, GenBank KX348102.1; Identities = 509/685 (74 %), 10 gaps (1 %)) and Teratosphaeria biformis (strain CBS 124578, GenBank KX348100.1; Identities = 471/624 (75 %), 12 gaps (1 %)). No significant hits were obtained when the tef1 (first part) and tub2 sequences were used in blastn and megablast searches.

Figure 1 – Nothodevriesia narthecii on Narthecium ossifragum in Dwingelderveld National Park. Ascomata in host tissue; broken ascoma with asci; brown ascospores on host tissue; germinating ascospores on MEA. Scale bars: intact ascomata = 30 and 45 µm, respectively, all others = 10 µm.