Torula dracaenae Chaiwan & K.D. Hyde, sp. nov, (KAN2)

MycoBank number: MB; Index Fungorum number: IF; Facesoffungi number: FoF 10752;

Saprobic or dead leaves of Dracaena sp. Sexual morph: Undetermined Asexual morph: Colonies effuse on host, black, powdery. Mycelium partly immersed, composed of septate, branched, smooth, pale brown hyphae. Conidiophores (2.8–)3–4.3 μm long × 2.5–3 μm diam (x̅ = 3.8 × 2.8 μm, n = 10), macronematous, mononematous, solitary, erect, pale brown, verruculose, thick-walled, consisting of 1–2 cells or reduced to conidiogenous cells, subcylindrical to subglobose, arising from prostrate hypha. Conidiogenous cells (3–)3.2–3.5 μm long × 3.8–4.6 μm diam (x = 3.4 × 4.1 μm, n = 10), polyblastic, terminal, dark brown to black, smooth to minutely verruculose, thick-walled, doliiform to ellipsoid. Conidia (14–) 23.5–36(−55) μm long × (3.3–)3.6–4.4 μm wide (x =30.5 × 4.1 μm, n = 20) solitary to catenate, acrogenous, simple, phragmosporous, dark brown, with apical cell pale brown, minutely verruculose, 3–10-septate, rounded at both ends, composed of subglobose cells, slightly constricted at some septa, chiefly subcylindrical. Conidial secession schizolytic.

Material examined – Thailand, Kanchanaburi Province, on dead stems of Dracaena sp., 20 March 2017, Napalai Chaiwan, KAN2 (MFLU *** Herbarium).

HostsChromolaena odorata, Clematis fulvicoma, Pandanus tectorius (Li et al. 2017; Tibpromma et al. 2018), Dracaena sp. (this study).

Distribution – China, Thailand (Li et al. 2017; Tibpromman et al. 2018; this study).

GenBank accession numbers – LSU: ***; SSU: ***; ITS: ****.

Notes – Phylogenetic analyses of our collection groups it with Torula chromolaenae in Li et al. (2017). However our collection is the first report from Dracaena fragrans in Thailand. Therefore, details are provided of this species to facilitate identification on this host. The morphology of this collection is similar to T. chromolaenae in Li et al. 2017. However, our strain differs from type strain in its thicker conidiomatal wall, Conidiophores, Conidiogenous cells and Conidia shorter than type strain. In a BLASTn search of GenBank, the ITS sequence had 98.45% similarity. A comparison of the ITS nucleotides of these new species reveals 8/594 (0.013%) nucleotide differences and the TEF nucleotides of these new species reveals 146/970 (0.150%) nucleotide differences, which indicates that they are distinct taxa (Jeewon & Hyde 2016).

Figure **Torula dracaenae (MFLU ****, holotype) a, b Appearance of fruiting body on host surface. c-l Conidiogenous cells and Conidia. Scale bars: a = 1000 µm, b = 200 μm, c-l = 10 μm.