Parapolyplosphaeria thailandica (C.G. Lin, Yong Wang bis & K.D. Hyde) Rajeshk., C.G. Lin, Dong Wei & K.D. Hyde., comb. nov.

Index Fungorum number: IF 901425; Mycobank number: MB 901425; Facesoffungi number: FoF 10840 Fig. 1

Etymology – epithet thailandica after the name of the country where this fungus is native.

Holotype – MFLU 15–3273

Basionym – Polyplosphaeria thailandica C.G. Lin, Yong Wang bis & K.D. Hyde, Fungal Diversity 78: 55 (2016)

Saprobic on bamboo culms. Sexual morph Not observed. Asexual morph hyphomycetous. Conidiophores absent. Conidiogenous cells monoblastic. Conidia solitary, dry, acrogenous, muriform, globose, obovoid, pyriform, ellipsoidal, occasionally two conidial body fused together at the basal cell, brown, 20.5–43 μm long excluding the appendages, 17.5–54 μm wide at the broadest part, verrucose; with 2–5 appendages, grey to brown, straight, septate, 23–117 μm long, 2–4.5 μm thick, rounded at the apex; basal cell usually cylindrical, obconical, dark brown, smooth-walled.

Note – The morphological comparison of Polyplosphaeria fusca with P. thailandica corroborated that the differences in conidial characteristics such as size of conidia, P. thailandica; 20.5–43×17.5–54 μm vs. P. fusca; 43–100(–125) μm diam (av. 71.2 μm, n=58). The fused conidial body at the basal cell is a uniqueness in P. thailandica and appendages are lesser in number (2–5 appendages) compared to three to eight setose appendages in P. fusca. A concatenated analyses of SSU, LSU, ITS and tef1-α formed a paraphyletic lineage of Polyplosphaeria thailandica distant from Polyplosphaeria sensu stricto Clade, that endorse the recombination of P. thailandica under a new genus as Parapolyplosphaeria thailandica.

Figure 1 – Polyplosphaeria thailandica (MFLU 15–3273 holotype) a Host (decaying bamboo) b, c Conidiophores on the host surface d–g Conidiophores, conidiogenous cell and conidia h Germinating conidium i, j Colonies on PDA culture. Scale bars: b=200 μm, c=100 μm, d–h=20 μm (the figures are reproduced with the permission of original authors Li et al. 2016)