Pseudocapulatispora longiappendiculata Mapook & K.D. Hyde, sp. nov.

MycoBank number: MB 557286; Index Fungorum number: IF 557286; Facesoffungi number: FoF 07797; Fig. 37

Etymology: Referring to ascospores with long polar appendages.

Holotype: MFLU 20-0347

Saprobic on dead stems of Chromolaena odorata. Sexual morph: Ascomata (195–)250–265 µm high × 105–150 µm diam. ( = 240 × 135 µm, n = 5), immersed, appearing as black spots, coriaceous, solitary or scattered, ovoid, light brown to brown. Ostiole long neck, carbonaceous, papillate, crest-like, elongated and laterally compressed, with hyaline periphyses. Peridium 15–25 µm wide, comprising several layers, outer layers comprising light brown to brown cells of textura prismatica, inner layers comprising pale brown to hyaline cells of textura angularis. Hamathecium com- prising (1–)2–3 µm wide, cylindrical to filiform, septate, branching pseudoparaphyses. Asci 75–120 × 14–20 µm ( = 100 × 15.5 µm, n = 18), 8-spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindric-clavate, straight or slightly curved, with a short pedicel, apically rounded, with an ocular chamber. Ascospores 24–29 × 6–9 µm (= 26 × 7.5 µm, n = 20), over- lapping, 1–2-seriate, hyaline, broadly fusiform, uniseptate, straight or slightly curved, guttulate, constricted at the septum, with a narrow sheath; sheath drawn out to form polar appendages, (5.5–)10–40 µm long × (2.5–)3–5(–9) µm wide ( = 25 × 4.5 µm, n = 30), from apex of the ascospores terminating in a glose drop at their tips. Asexual morph: Undetermined.

Culture characteristics: Ascospores germinating on MEA within 24 h. at room temperature, at first becoming 4 celled and then germ tubes produced around the ascospores. Colonies on MEA, initial irregular, becoming filamentous in old culture, mycelium slightly raised, flattened, filiform, white aerial hyphae, spreading from the center, becoming olivaceous-brown at the surface and olivaceous-brown to black in reverse, MEA change to yellow (Fig. 38).

Pre-screening for antimicrobial activity: Pseudocapulatispora longiappendiculata (MFLUCC 17-1452) showed antimicrobial activity against B. subtilis with a 7 mm inhibition zone and against M. plumbeus with a 23 mm inhibition zone, observable as partial inhibition, when compared to the positive control (26 mm and 20 mm, respectively), but no inhibition of E. coli.

Material examined: THAILAND, Chiang Rai Province, Doi Pui, on dead stems of Chromolaena odorata, 5 August 2015, A. Mapook (DP45, MFLU 20-0347, holotype); ex- type culture MFLUCC 17-1452; Lampang Province, Chaehom, on dead stems of Chromolaena odorata, 24 September 2016, A. Mapook (JH3, MFLU 20-0348); living culture MFLUCC 17-1457.

GenBank numbers: LSU: MT214462, MT214463, ITS: MT214368, MT214369, SSU: MT214415, MT214416, TEF1: MT235783, MT235784, RPB2: MT235821

Notes: In a BLASTn search of NCBI GenBank, the closest match of the ITS sequence of Pseudocapulatispora longiappendiculata (MFLUCC 17-1452, ex-holotype) with 88.99% similarity was Lophiostoma sp. (strain MA 4558, AJ972793). The closest match with the LSU and SSU sequences with 98.02% (AY016369) and 99.37% (AY016354) similarity, respectively, were Lophiostoma heterospora strain CBS 644.86, while the closest match with the TEF1 sequences with 96.04% similarity was Trematosphaeria sp. (LT797069).

Fig. 37 Pseudocapulatispora longiappendiculata (holotype) a, b Appearance of ascomata on substrate. c Section through ascoma. d Ostiole. e Peridium. f Pseudoparaphyses. gj Asci. kp Ascospores. Scale bars: a = 500 µm, b = 200 µm, c, gj, lp = 50 µm, d, k = 20 µm, e = 10 µm, f = 5 µm

Fig. 38 Culture characteristic on MEA: Pseudocapulatispora longiappendiculata (MFLUCC 17-1452)