Penicillium sclerotiorum BeymaPenicillium sclerotiorum J.F.H. Beyma, Centbl. Bakt. ParasitKde, Abt. II 96(20-23): 416 (1937)

MycoBank number: MB 277708; Index Fungorum number: IF 277708; Facesoffungi number: FoF 10493;

Possible synonyms: None

Description (Description with measurements of sexual and asexual state of species)

Saprobic in cold arid soils of Kargil, Ladakh India. Sexual state: Not observed. Asexual state: Conidiophores borne from surface or subsurface hyphae, stipes long and slender, smooth to finely roughened; strictly monoverticillate, vesiculate, 14–56 × 1.4–1.5 µm; phialides numerous, upto 4–9 per verticil, ampulliform, 4.3–6.7 × 1.4–2.1 µm with long collula; conidia 1.5–2.0 µm in diameter (Fig. 1d, f). Distinctive features: colonies zonate, prominent orange red exudates.

Material examined: Drass (Kargil) India, September 2017.

Distribution: Drass valley (2,800 masl), located in Kargil is also known as the Himalayan gateway to Ladakh and is considered as the coldest place in India and second coldest inhabited place in the world with temperature recorded below -45oC during the winters.

Sequence data: NA

Notes: This Penicillium is a rare species with limited distribution

Fig. 1 – a-c Penicillium roseopurpureum Dierckx. d-f Penicillium sclerotiorum Beyma.
g-j Penicillium vinaceum Gilman & Abbott. Colonies growing on CYA (b, e, j); Microphotographs (a, d, g); Camera lucida drawings (c, f, h–i). Scale bars: a, d, g = 10µm, c, f, h–i = 14µm.