Pestalotiopsis kandelicola Norph., C.H. Kuo & K.D. Hyde, in Hyde, Jeewon & Chen et al., Fungal Diversity. 103:219–271 (2020b)

MycoBank number: MB 557755; Index Fungorum number: IF 557755; Facesoffungi number: FoF 08934;

Pathogenic on Sabal mexicana lamina. Sexual morph: not observed. Asexual morph: Conidiomata 395–425 µm diam, pycnidial in culture on PDA, globose to clavate, solitary or aggregate, black, semi-immersed, ostiole in the center; releasing conidia in a black, slimy, globose, glistening mass. Conidiophores sparsely septate at base, hyaline, subrotund to irregular, branched or unbranched, up to 15.5 µm. Conidiogenous cell 4 × 2 µm, discrete, smooth-walled, hyaline, ampulliform to subcylindrical. Conidia 17.5–22 × 5.5–7 µm (x̄ ± SD = 20 ± 1.3 × 6 ± 0.5 µm, n = 40), fusiform to ellipsoid, 4-septate, straight to slightly curved, slightly constricted at septa; basal cell 3.5–5 µm long, conic with a truncate base, hyaline, sparsely verruculose and thin-walled; three median cells 10–13 µm long, x̄ ± SD = 12 ± 1 µm, doliiform, verruculose, concolourous, maple, septa darker than the rest of the cell (second cell from the base 4–5 µm; third cell 3.5–4.5 µm; fourth cell 4–5 µm); apical cell 3.5–5 µm long, hyaline, sparsely verruculose, conical to subcylindrical, thin- or smooth-walled; apical appendages 9–28 µm long, x̄ ± SD = 16.5 ± 4.3 µm, 1–3 (seldom 1), tubular, arising from the apical crest, unbranched, filiform; basal appendage 2.5–6 µm long, single, tubular, unbranched, centric.

Culture characteristics – Colonies on PDA attaining 5 cm diam after 7 d at 25 ℃, circular, flat, curled, rough, white, undulate; reverse cream.

Material examined – China, Guangdong Province, Guangzhou City, South China Botanical Garden, symptomatic lamina of Sabal mexicana, 17 June 2020, Y.R. Xiong, ZHKUCC 22–0022 (ZHKU 22–0013, new host record) – living culture in ZHKUCC; ibidem, 17 June 2020, Y.R. Xiong, ZHKUCC 22–0023 (paratype) – living culture in ZHKUCC.

Known distribution – widespread in tropical and subtropical regions.

Notes – The two isolates obtained in this study (ZHKUCC 22–0022, ZHKUCC 22–0023) develop an independent clade in Pestalotiopsis phylogenetic tree with 98% ML, 68% MP bootstrap values and 0.99 BYPP value. Pestalotiopsis kandelicola was reported on Kandelia candel (Rhizophoraceae), Taiwan (Hyde et al. 2020b). The present study adds Sabal mexicana as a new host for this fungus based on the phylogenetic inference of ITS, tub2, tef 1-α sequence data and morphology.

Figure Pestalotiopsis kandelicola (ZHKU 22–0013). (a) The front view of a two-week-old colony on PDA; (b) The reverse view of a two-week-old colony on PDA; (c) Pycnidium; (d) Conidiogenous cells giving rise to conidia; (e–g) Conidia. Scale bars: d–g = 15 µm.