ArticlePDF Available

Lucidascocarpa pulchella, a new ascomycete genus and species from freshwater habitats in the American tropics

Taylor & Francis
Mycologia
Authors:

Abstract

A new fungus collected from submerged wood in Costa Rica and Ecuador has ascostromatic ascomata with fissitunicate asci and lacks pseudoparaphyses, characters that place it in the Dothideaceae (Dothideales). It is unusual in the order because it has white ascomata. Based on other morphological characters however this fungus could not be accommodated in any existing genus in the Dothideaceae and it is described herein as a new genus and species, Lucidascocarpa pulchella. These morphological features are characteristic of L. pulchella: ascomata glistening, white, each with a long, periphysate neck; a membranous peridium composed of 5-7 thin-walled, hyaline cells; pseudoparaphyses absent; asci fissitunicate, clavate, eight-spored; ascospores seven-septate, hyaline, multiguttulate, verruculose, surrounded by a large, regular, gelatinous sheath.
A preview of the PDF is not available
... Previously it has been observed that some aquatic ascomycetous fungi can form fruiting bodies on submerged wood and this has been noted in freshwater systems in Japan, Thailand and Costa Rica [119,120] . However, a recently discovered species of aquatic gilled mushrooms known as Psathyrella aquatica (Fig. 1), was described in the mid-2000s and one of only a few known aquatic gilled fungi. ...
... The aquatic gilled mushrooms from southern Oregon appear to represent a novel taxon within the Psathyrellaceae in the large polyphyletic genus Psathyrella [122] . Other Ascomycota fruit on submerged wood in lakes in Japan, Thailand and Costa Rica [119,120] . However, P. aquatica is not the only species to form mushroom-like fruiting structures underwater. ...
Article
Full-text available
Contributing in about 38% of the discovered biologically active metabolites, fungi are generous sources of compounds that can be used in drug industry and in saving health of humanity. Fungi exist everywhere around us. However, aquatic fungi represent promising source for novel compounds with potential uses in different biotechnological fields. Many marine derived fungi were sources of novel compounds showing biological actions such as antimicrobial, anticancer, antiinflammatory activities. Similarly, mushrooms are macrofungi that exist everywhere around us. They have significant roles in human life as source of nutrition and bioactive compounds. Many aquatic isolated fungi and mushrooms have been reported as promising biotechnological tools for production of secondary metabolites of various biological activities. Recently, Psathyrella aquatica has been discovered in Rogue River, Oregon, United States. Psathyrella aquatica represents a novel taxon within the family Psathyrellaceae in the large polyphyletic genus Psathyrella, and is considered as the only reported aquatic gilled mushroom till now. Aquatic gilled mushrooms are especially interesting due to the rareness of Basidiomycetes that can grow underwater. In this review, the potential of aquatic fungi as promising sources of bioactive novel compounds was clarified. Moreover, the ecology, occurrence, of unique aquatic gilled mushrooms are described, and available information about the novel mushroom P. aquatica was highlighted.
... Based on phylogenetic analysis using rRNA genes (18S and 28S), L. palustris is basal to the Mytilinidiales; however, there was no strong nodal support to determine its phylogenetic affinities accurately. The second species, L. tangerina , is known only from its type locality thus far and has not been sequenced ().Ferrer et al. 2008) Known only from the type locality and the Peruvian Amazon (C. A. Shearer, unpublished), this species has not yet been successfully sequenced.Raja et al. 2009a) Known only from the type locality, Shearer et al. (2009) showed it was basal to the Janhulales, but without significant nodal support.Raja et al. 2010) Wicklowia is a recently described genus with unique morphology: dorsiventrally flattened ascomata and an ascospore sheath which is attached at the ascospore base, with a gelatinous curtain extending downward from the base that fragments into filamentous appendages forming a sub-apical fringe (Fig. 2.1H) (Raja et al. 2010a). Morphologically, Wicklowia fits well in the Pleosporales and the 28S nrRNA gene phylogeny of its only species, W. aquatica, supported this conclusion (Raja et al. 2010a). ...
... Fr. fruits submerged on wood in cold running water; its spores are thread-like and dispersed underwater (Mains 1956, Tylutki 1979. Other Ascomycota fruit on submerged wood in lakes in Japan, Thailand and Costa Rica (Minoura and Muroi 1978, Pinruan et al 2004, Ferrer et al 2008. A basidiomycete with a smooth hymenium, Gloiocephala aquatica Desjardin, Martinez-Peck & Rajchenberg, that forms submerged basidiocarps has been reported from lakes and ponds in southern Argentina (Desjardin et al 1995). ...
Article
Full-text available
Psathyrella aquatica was observed fruiting in the Rogue River in southern Oregon in 2005 and described as a new species in 2010. The goals of this study were to determine the ability of P. aquatica to grow and fruit in culture, and to observe morphological characters during sporocarp development in terrestrial as well as aquatic environments. Under conditions similar to that for cultivation of terrestrial species, the underwater mushroom P. aquatica grew in culture and formed sporocarps on woody substrates. In vitro, mature sporocarps of P. aquatica formed on woody substrates in containers subjected to submersion and temporary cooling. While in vitro fruiting under predominantly terrestrial conditions supports the hypothesis that P. aquatica may form terrestrial sporocarps, in natural conditions P. aquatica has been observed fruiting only underwater. Terrestrial search parameters for this rare mushroom can now include cultural characters of the mycelium and morphological characters of sporocarps observed in vitro.
Article
Full-text available
A comprehensive account of fungal classification from freshwater habitats is outlined and discussed in the present review based on literature of biodiversity studies and recent morpho-phylogenetic analyses. A total of 3,870 freshwater fungal species are listed with additional details on the isolation source, habitat, geographical distribution, and molecular data. The Ascomycota (2,968 species, 1,018 genera) dominated the freshwater fungal taxa wherein Sordariomycetes (823 species, 298 genera) had the largest number, followed by Dothideomycetes (677 species, 229 genera), Eurotiomycetes (276 species, 49 genera), and Leotiomycetes (260 species, 83 genera). Other phyla included in the updated classification of freshwater fungi are: Chytridiomycota (333 species, 97 genera), Rozellomycota (221 species, 105 genera), Basidiomycota (218 species, 100 genera), Blastocladiomycota (47 species, 10 genera), Monoblepharomycota (29 species, 6 genera), Mucoromycota (19 species, 10 genera), Aphelidiomycota (15 species, 3 genera), Entomophthoromycota (6 species, 4 genera), Mortierellomycota (5 species, 3 genera), Olpidiomycota (4 species, 1 genus), Zoopagomycota (3 species, 2 genera), and Sanchytriomycota (2 species, 2 genera). The freshwater fungi belong to 1,361 genera, 386 families and 145 orders. The Pleosporales and Laboulbeniaceae are the largest freshwater fungal order and family comprised of 391 and 185 species, respectively. The most speciose genera are Chitonomyces (87, Laboulbeniomycetes), Verrucaria (50, Eurotiomycetes), Rhizophydium (52, Rhizophydiomycetes), Penicillium (47, Eurotiomycetes), and Candida (42, Saccharomycetes).
Article
Full-text available
Freshwater Dothideomycetes are a highly diverse group of fungi, which are mostly saprobic in freshwater habitats worldwide. They are important decomposers of submerged woody debris and leaves in water. In this paper, we outline the genera of freshwater Dothideomycetes with notes and keys to species. Based on multigene analyses and morphology, we introduce nine new genera, viz . Aquimassariosphaeria , Aquatospora , Aquihelicascus , Fusiformiseptata , Neohelicascus , Neojahnula , Pseudojahnula , Purpureofaciens , Submersispora ; 33 new species, viz . Acrocalymma bipolare , Aquimassariosphaeria kunmingensis , Aquatospora cylindrica , Aquihelicascus songkhlaensis , A. yunnanensis , Ascagilis submersa , A. thailandensis , Bambusicola aquatica , Caryospora submersa , Dictyocheirospora thailandica , Fusiformiseptata crocea , Helicosporium thailandense , Hongkongmyces aquaticus , Lentistoma aquaticum , Lentithecium kunmingense , Lindgomyces aquaticus , Longipedicellata aquatica , Neohelicascus submersus , Neohelicomyces dehongensis , N. thailandicus , Neohelicosporium submersum , Nigrograna aquatica , Occultibambusa kunmingensis , Parabambusicola aquatica , Pseudoasteromassaria aquatica , Pseudoastrosphaeriella aquatica , Pseudoxylomyces aquaticus , Purpureofaciens aquatica , Roussoella aquatica , Shrungabeeja aquatica , Submersispora variabilis , Tetraploa puzheheiensis , T. yunnanensis ; 16 new combinations, viz. Aquimassariosphaeria typhicola , Aquihelicascus thalassioideus , Ascagilis guttulaspora , A. queenslandica , A. seychellensis , A. sunyatsenii , Ernakulamia xishuangbannaensis , Neohelicascus aquaticus , N. chiangraiensis , N. egyptiacus , N. elaterascus , N. gallicus , N. unilocularis , N. uniseptatus , Neojahnula australiensis , Pseudojahnula potamophila ; 17 new geographical and habitat records, viz. Aliquandostipite khaoyaiensis , Aquastroma magniostiolata , Caryospora aquatica , C. quercus , Dendryphiella vinosa , Ernakulamia cochinensis , Fissuroma neoaggregatum , Helicotruncatum palmigenum , Jahnula rostrata , Neoroussoella bambusae , N. leucaenae , Occultibambusa pustula , Paramonodictys solitarius , Pleopunctum pseudoellipsoideum , Pseudocapulatispora longiappendiculata , Seriascoma didymosporum , Shrungabeeja vadirajensis and ten new collections from China and Thailand, viz. Amniculicola guttulata , Aquaphila albicans , Berkleasmium latisporum , Clohesyomyces aquaticus , Dictyocheirospora rotunda , Flabellascoma fusiforme , Pseudoastrosphaeriella bambusae , Pseudoxylomyces elegans , Tubeufia aquatica and T. cylindrothecia . Dendryphiella phitsanulokensis and Tubeufia roseohelicospora are synonymized with D. vinosa and T. tectonae , respectively. Six orders, 43 families and 145 genera which belong to freshwater Dothideomycetes are reviewed. Of these, 46 genera occur exclusively in freshwater habitats. A world map illustrates the distribution of freshwater Dothideomycetes.
Article
Full-text available
Knowledge of the relationships and thus the classification of fungi, has developed rapidly with increasingly widespread use of molecular techniques, over the past 10–15 years, and continues to accelerate. Several genera have been found to be polyphyletic, and their generic concepts have subsequently been emended. New names have thus been introduced for species which are phylogenetically distinct from the type species of particular genera. The ending of the separate naming of morphs of the same species in 2011, has also caused changes in fungal generic names. In order to facilitate access to all important changes, it was desirable to compile these in a single document. The present article provides a list of generic names of Ascomycota (approximately 6500 accepted names published to the end of 2016), including those which are lichen-forming. Notes and summaries of the changes since the last edition of ‘Ainsworth & Bisby’s Dictionary of the Fungi’ in 2008 are provided. The notes include the number of accepted species, classification, type species (with location of the type material), culture availability, life-styles, distribution, and selected publications that have appeared since 2008. This work is intended to provide the foundation for updating the ascomycete component of the “Without prejudice list of generic names of Fungi” published in 2013, which will be developed into a list of protected generic names. This will be subjected to the XIXth International Botanical Congress in Shenzhen in July 2017 agreeing to a modification in the rules relating to protected lists, and scrutiny by procedures determined by the Nomenclature Committee for Fungi (NCF). The previously invalidly published generic names Barriopsis, Collophora (as Collophorina), Cryomyces, Dematiopleospora, Heterospora (as Heterosporicola), Lithophila, Palmomyces (as Palmaria) and Saxomyces are validated, as are two previously invalid family names, Bartaliniaceae and Wiesneriomycetaceae. Four species of Lalaria, which were invalidly published are transferred to Taphrina and validated as new combinations. Catenomycopsis Tibell & Constant. is reduced under Chaenothecopsis Vain., while Dichomera Cooke is reduced under Botryosphaeria Ces. & De Not. (Art. 59).
Article
Cited By (since 1996):1, Export Date: 18 October 2014
Article
Full-text available
The type specimens or representative specimens of the potentially dothidealean generaBagnisiella,Botryochora, Coccostromella, Columnosphaeria, Delphinella, Dictyodothis, Discosphaerina, Dothidea, Dothiora, Endodothiora, Jaffuela, Mycoporis, Omphalospora, Pachysacca, Plowrightia, accothecium, Stylodothis, SydowiaandYoshinagaiawere examined while, fresh specimens ofAureobasidium pullulans, Dothidea insculpta, Plowrightia ribesiaandSaccothecium sepincolawere made from Italy and Thailand. An introduction and the history ofthese genera, their family placement, morphology, and molecular phylogeny are provided. Morphology plus GenBank dataare used to provide a systematic treatment of Dothideales. Phylogenetic analysis of LSU, SSU and ITS gene regions was carried out and in the resulting phylogenetic tree the taxa cluster in two clades with high bootstrap support. Clade A comprisesDothideaceae, the family type ofDothideales.The familyDothioraceaeis not recognized as a distinct family and is synonymized under Dothideaceae. Neocylindroseptoriais introduced to accommodate Cylindroseptoria pistaciaeas it forms a well-supported distinct clade inDothideaceae. Clade B comprisesAureobasidium, Kabatiella, Pseudoseptoria, Saccothecium and Selenophoma species and Columnosphaeria fagi, for which we propose a new family, Aureobasidiaceae. The recently introducedSydowia eucalypti also clustered within Clade B and therefore based on morphology and molecular phylogeny a new genus Pseudosydowiais introduced for Sydowia eucalypti.
Article
Full-text available
Part One presents the current classification that includes all accepted genera and higher taxa above the generic level in the phylum Ascomycota. It is based on the changes listed in Myconet notes 4751–5113. In the current outline, three subphyla (Pezizomycotina, Saccharomycotina, Taphrinomycotina) are accepted. Taphrinomycotina includes four classes (Neolectomycetes, Pneumocystidomycetes, Schizosaccharomyces, Taphrinomycetes). Saccharomycotina consists of one class and Pezizomycotina includes eleven classes (Arthoniomycetes, Dothideomycetes, Eurotiomycetes, Geoglossomycetes, Laboulbeniomycetes, Lecanoromycetes, Leotiomycetes, Lichinomycetes, Orbiliomycetes, Pezizomycetes, Sordariomycetes). Part Two presents 363 notes on the taxonomy and nomenclature of ascomycetes (Ascomycota) at the generic and higher levels. Numerous changes in higher levels resulted from multi-authored phylogenetic papers resulting from the AFTOL and Deep Hyphae projects, especially a publication on a revised fungal classification spearheaded by David Hibbett in 2007 and a 2009 volume of Studies in Mycology edited by Conrad Schoch and others dedicated to the phylogeny of the Dothideomycetes. The new name Alectoria gowardii Lumbsch is proposed for Gowardia arctica P. Halonen, L. Myllys, S. Velmala & H. Hyvärinen (non Alectoria arctica Elenkin & Savicz).
Article
Full-text available
In two short surveys of lignicolous, fruitbody-forming ascomycetes in Thailand and southern China, six species were found, of which five were new to science. Two fungi with affinity to the Dothideomycetes, one from Thailand and one from China, are described here in the new genus ALIQUANDOSTIPITE: and included in the new family Aliquandostipitaceae. Aliquandostipite khaoyaiensis was found in a tropical rain forest in Thailand and A. sunyatsenii in a small stream in southern China. Both new species are closely related based on morphological and molecular characteristics and with uncertain affinity to other taxa of the Euascomycetes based on phylogenetic analyses of SSU rDNA sequences. The distinguishing features of the new species are the presence of both sessile and stalked ascomata side by side on the substratum and the widest hyphae known from ascomycetes.
Article
Canalisporium panamense, a new species of aquatic mitosporic fungus from wood submerged in freshwater habitats in Panama, is described and illustrated. The characteristic features of the new species are colonies with few conidia, conidiogenous cells integrated, and dematiaceous muriform conidia. The conidia of C. panamense are larger in size (50-70 X 46-60 μm) and have more septa than other described species in the genus. Canalisporium caribense, C. elegans, C. kenyense, and C. pulchrum are reported for the first time from wood submerged in rivers in lowland forests of Panama. No Canalisporium species were found at high elevations.
Article
A new order is introduced (Jahnulales) to accommodate ascomycetes with stalked/sessile and dimorphic ascomata, hyphal stalk cells that are ca 40 μm wide, and ascospores that are unequally 2-celled with or without various types of appendages or sheaths. The order includes a single family, the Aliquandostipitaceae, and has affinities with the Pleosporales within the Dothideomycetes. Studies on freshwater ascomycetes in Egypt and Thailand yielded one new genus Patescospora, and Jahnula siamensiae sp. nov., and the new combination J. sunyatsenii (syn. Aliquandostipite sunyatsenii) is made based on molecular results.
Article
Jahnulales is an order of freshwater, lignicolous, bitunicate ascomycetes characterized by wide (10-40 mu m), brown, septate hyphae, stalked and (or) sessile ascomata, ascomal walls of 2-6 layers of large cells, and 1-septate ascospores. A variety of ascospore modifications are represented among the species in the order, including wall roughening, gelatinous sheaths, appendages and (or) pads, and apical caps or spines. To clarify generic boundaries and phylogenetic relationships within the Jahnulales and to assess the taxonomic significance of various morphological characters, a molecular study was carried Out using 18S and 28S rDNA sequence data from 15 species representing the four genera in the order. In addition, Brachiosphaera tropicalis Nawawi and Xylomyces chlamydosporus Goos, R.D. Brooks & Lamore, two mitosporic species that co-occur with Jahnula Kirschst., species and have wide (>10 mu m), brown, septate hyphae were included in the study to determine whether these species are members of this order. Maximum likelihood analyses confirmed the monophyly of the Jahnulales and resolved four clades. Two robustly supported clades comprise the genera Aliquandostipite Inderb. and Megalohypha A. Ferrer & Shearer. A third well-supported clade encompassed species of Brachiosphaera, Jahnula, and Xylomyces. The fourth clade contained isolates of the type species of the genus Jahnula, Jahnula aquatica (Plottn. & Kirschst.) Kirschst., and two other members of this genus, but this clade was weakly supported. Our data suggest that the presence of very wide, brown, septate hyphae is an important character defining the Jahnulales. Based on molecular and morphological data, we propose the transfer of Jahnula siamensiae Sivichai & E.B.G. Jones and Patescospora separans Abdel-Wahab & El-Shar. to Aliquandostipite and emend the description of the Jahnulales.
A preliminary account of the taxa described in
  • A Y Rossman
Rossman AY. 1979. A preliminary account of the taxa described in Calonectria. Mycotaxon 8:485-558. ---. 1987. The Tubeufiaceae and similar Loculoascomycetes. Mycol Pap 157:1-71.