Valsaria tamaricis Mundk. & S. Ahmad, Mycol. Pap. 18: 7 (1946). Index Fungorum Number: IF291927
Saprobic on dead wood. Sexual morph: Ascostromata 900– 1100 μm diam. × 540 – 660 μm high ( x = 994 × 587 μm, n = 5), erumpent from bark, solitary, scattered or gregarious, black, broadly conical or subglobose with flattened base, coriaceous, multiloculate, peridium of ascostromata 75–180 μm wide composed of brown to dark brown cells of textura angularis. Locules 110–240 μm diam. × 165–210 μm high, (x = 180 × 234 μm, n = 10), subglobose to conical or irregular. Ostiole inconspicuous at the surface, papillate. Peridium of locules 13–20 μm, comprising few layers of lightly pigmented to dark brown, flattened cells of textura angularis, becoming hyaline towards the inner region. Hamathecium 1.5–3.5 μm wide, composed of hyaline, septate, cellular pseudoparaphyses. Asci 70–88 × 7.5–11 μm (x = 82.4 × 9.5 μm, n = 15), 8-spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindrical, with a short pedicel, apically rounded with an ocular chamber. Ascospores 10.6–14.2(−15.7) × 5.3–6.9 μm (x = 12.8 × 6.2 μm, n = 25), uniseriate, partially overlapping, yellowish brown when immature, becoming dark brown when mature, (0–)1-septate, not distinctly constricted at the septum, ellipsoid with broadly obtuse ends, finely striate. Asexual morph: Undetermined.
Material examined: PAKISTAN, Rahim Yar Khan, on a log of Tamarix articulata Vahl., 25 August 1964 (BPI 619574).
Notes: The genus Valsaria was established by Cesati and De Notaris (1863) and typified by V. insitiva (Tode) Ces. & De Not. Kirk et al. (2008) categorized the genus in Diaporthales, Sordariomycetes, while Jaklitsch et al. (2015) placed the genus Valsaria in a newly introduced family Valsariaceae, Valsariales within the class Dothideomycetes based on morphology and molecular phylogeny. Valsaria tamaricis was introduced by Mundkur and Ahmad (1946) but no sequence data are available for this species. However, the morphology fits with the genus Valsaria (Jaklitsch et al. 2015) and recollection and molecular analyses are needed to establish if this is a distinct species.
FIG. Valsaria tamaricis (BPI 619574) a Herbarium material b, c Appearance of ascostromata on host surface d Vertical section through ascostroma e Close up of a locule f-g Peridium h Pseudoparaphyses i-k Asci l-o Ascospores. Scale bars: d = 500 μm, e-g = 50 μm, h = 10 μm, i-k = 25 μm, l-o = 5 μm