INDIAN JOURNAL OF FORESTRY Vol. 17(2). 129-133,1994
TWO UNDESCRIBED SPECIES OF CONIDIAL FUNGI FROM 2.15
FORESTS OF WESTERN GHATS IN SOUTHERN INDIA
D.J. Bhat
Department of Microbiology, G oa University, Goa - 403 202, India
Abstract
Bahusutrabeeja dubhashii sp. nov. and Spegazzinia subramanianii sp, nov. are described and illustrated from collections of forest litter made in Western Ghats. Southern India.
This communication deals with descrip
tion of tw o s o far u n d e s c rib e d species of conidial fu n g i isolated from forest litter of Western G h a ts in southern India and these form part Of a rich fungai biodiversity of the.
tropics.
B a h u s u tra b e e ja d u b h a s h ii O .J . Bhat sp.
nov. (Fig. 1)
(etym : In honour of Dr. P .R . Dubhashi, Vice C h a n ce llo r, Goa U n ive rs ity, for his out
standing efforts of d e v e lo p m e n t of higher education in the State of G o a ).
C o lo n ia e effusae, atrobrunneae, veluti- nae. C o n id io p h o ra m o n o n e m a ta , erecta, recta vel fiexuoua, nonram osa, laevia, cras- situnicata, 3-5-septata, u s q u e ad 170 um longa, 6 -8 .5 ym , cum orificium phialido 3-4 pm lat., cu m 2-4 aequidistantibas positus (2- 2.5 pm distantia) proliferationss percurrenter et celeriter ad apicem c u m distinctus colla
rette. C o n id ia solitaria, blastica-phialidica, obpyriform ea ve! obclavata, incolourata, ad apicem cellulae c o n id io g e n a e in massam mucosam aggregata, crassitunicata, nonsep- tata, 15-20 u m longa, 5 -8 jjm la t, ad basim truncata, ad apicem argusta st rotundata, ad
basim 4 et-apicem 2 tenuis setulae oppositi- orientata, vel 18 fim longa.
Holotypus in foliis em ortuis Psthdanus fascicularis Lam., M olem Wildlife Sanctuary, G o a State, India, leg . D .J . Bhat, 20-10-1992 G U M H No. 122.
Colonies effuse, d a rk brown, velvety.
Conidiophores m ononem atous erect, straight o r flexuous, u n b ra n c h e d , smooth, thick- walled, 3-5-septate, up to 170 *Sm long, 6-8.5 p m wide; septa 18-28 p m apart, dark brown, slightly inflated and u p to 20 pm wide at the.
base. Conidiogenous cells terminal, integrat
ed, monophialidic, cylindrical to slightly wider above, 30-45 x 5-8 p m , phialide opening 3*4 pm wide with 2-4 equidistantly placed {2-2.5 pm apart) p e rc u rre n t a n d quickly form ed proliferations at the tip, with distinct, slightly flaring collarettes. C o n id ia solitary, blastic- phialidic, obpyriform to obclavate, hyaline, accumulating in a s lim y colourless mass at the apex of conidiogenous cell, thick-walled, nonseptate, 1 5 -2 0 j/m lo n g , 5-8 pm w ide, truncate at the base, narrow er and rounded at the tip, with 4 basal a nd 2 apical, opposite
ly arranged, slender, u p to 18 jjm long setu
lae.
Fig. 1. Bahusutrabeeja dubhashil sp. nov.: conidiophores and conidta
tw o UNDESCRIBED SPECIES OF CONID1AL FUNGI 131
S in c e th e description of th e g enus Bahusutrabeeja Subramanian et Bhat (1977), with B . dwaya Subramanian et Bhat as the type species, so far two species have been described, viz., B. angularis Rao et de Hoog (1986) and B. globosa Bhat, Kendrick et Nag Raj (1 9 9 2 ). In B . dw aya, the first-fo rm ed conidia are pear-shaped while the subse^
quent conidia are globose and 12.5-14jum diam. In B . gfobosa conidia are uniformly spherical and larger (18-22/um diam ). The setulae of B . dwaya are 4.5-5/um long where
as in B . globosa these are 6.5-12.5jum long.
In B. angularis, conidia are much smaller (7-8 j j m d ia m .) a n d angular, appear 4 -5 -s id e d , with a setula arising from each corner. In B.
dubhashii, conidia are obpyriform to obcla- vate, 15-20 x 5-8/im , with up to 18 / im long and oppositely arising 4 basal and 2 apical setulae.
S p e g a zzin ia subram anianii D .J . Bhat sp.
nov. (Fig. 2).
(etym : In honour of Dr. C.V. Subramani
an, former Director, C A S . in Botany, Univer
sity of Madras, for his outstanding efforts of development of Mycology in the tropics).
Coloniae effusae, atrobrunneae, pulver- aceae, in conidiophori H elm inthosporium velutinum Link ex Ficinus & Schubert obte-
•gentes. M yce liu m supejrficiale, ex hyphis prostratis ra m o sis, septatis, h ya lin is vel subhyalinis, 1-2.5,ium crassis compositum.
Conidiophora basauxica mononemata, recta, flexuosa, angustata, hyalina vel subhyalina, minute dentata in tunicae, nonramosa, usque ad 15/jm long 1-2.5jum lat., une ex doliifor- ma vel ampuliforma metricemmulae conidio- phora o riunda 2.5-5 x 1.5 -2 A im . Cellulae co nidiogenae integrat cylin d ricae , m ono-
blasticae, ad basim elongatae. Conidia soli- taria, sicca, pyriforma vel turbinata, curvata ad basim, laevis, atrobrunnea lato et obtusa ad apicem , contracto in hilo angusti ad basim, 12.5-23vum tonga, 9-15>um lat., a crassi- inframedian septo-transversaliter divisio in a parte grandis apicalis, muriformis, 9-15/im diam ., ad deminutis cellulae-lumini, cum a parte parvis, abconis, laevis et crassitunica- tus, 0-1 -septatis oblique vel transversaliter, curvatus parte basim 5-8 Jam diam.
H o lo ty p u s in c o n id io p h o ra em ortuis Helminthosporium velutinum in foliis emortuis Calam us sp., Kodachadri H ills , Karnataka State, India, D.J. Bhat, 30-12-1989, G UM H 423.
C olonies effuse, dark brow n, powdery, growing on condiophores of Helminthospori
um velutinum Link ex S c h u b e rt. Mycelium superficial, composed of septate, branched, hyaline to subhyaline; 1 -2 .5 / jm wide, pros
trate h y p h a e . C o n id io p h o re s basauxic, m on onem atous, erect, flexuous, narrow, hyaline to subhyaline, minutely dentate on the walls, unbranched, upto 15/im long, 1- 2 .5 /jm w ide, arising from cylindrical, dolei- form to ampuiliform conidiophore mother cell 2.5-5 x 1.5-2Aim. Conidiogenous cells inte
grated, cylindrical, monoblastic, elongating at the base. Conidia solitary, dry, pryiform to tu rb in a te , basally c u rv e d , sm o o th , dark ttcown, broad and obtuse at the tip, tapering into a narrow hilum at the base, 12.5-23>um long, 9-15>um wide, divided by a submedian, thick, transverse septum into a large, apical, m uriform portion 9 -1 5/jffl d iam ., with re
d u c e d ce llu m e n , an d a sm alt ob co n ic, smooth and thick-walled, 0-1-transversely or obliquely septate, often curved, basal portion 5-8^um diam.
OJ BHAT
of the fungus on
TWO UNDESCRIBED SPECIES OF CONIOIAL FUNGI 133
T h e taxonom ic significance of basauxic nature of growth of conidiophores in hypho- m y c e to u s fu n g i was first o b s e rv e d and adapted b y H u g h e s (1953). T h e basauxic co n id io p h o re is now typical of atleast six - anamorph genera, viz., Spegazzinia Sacc., Arthrinium Kunze, Cordelia Speg., Pt&roconi- um Sacc., Dictyoarthriiuum Hughes, Endoca- lyx B e rk , e t B r. and C a te n o sp e ga zzin ia Subramanian. While describing two interest
ing and n e w hyphomycetes with basauxic c o n id io p h o re s from W e s te rn Australia, Subramanian (1991) reviewed the status of ail these six ge n e ra and provided a taxonomic key in addition to brief notes on their ecology and distribution.
Spegazzinia subramanianii is a hypdrpa- rasite on conidiophores of Hefminthosporium valutinum found growing on dead (eaves of Calam us. It produces solitary, muriform, pyriform to turbinate, smooth and dark conid
ia on sim ple, basauxic conidiophores with unthickened septa which are typical of the genus Spegazzinia-. Further, the conidia of S.
subramanianii are divided by a submedian transverse septum delimiting an upper, large
and m uriform p o rtio n w ith cells having reduced celHumen and a lower, thick-wailed, curved 0-1-septate, obconic portion. None of the s o far described species of Spegazzinia (Ellis, 1971,1976) possess these characters.
References
Bhat, D J . Kendrick, B. and Nag Raj, T.R. (1992). Tropi
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Ellis, M.B. (1971). Dematiaceous Hyphomycetes. Com
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Ellis, M.B. (1976). M on Dematiaceous Hyphomycetes.
Commonwealth Mycological Institute, Kew, England, p. 507.
Hughes, S.J, (1953). Conidiophores, Conidia and Clas
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Rao, V. and de Hoog, G.S. (1986). New or critical Hyphomycetes form India Stud. Mycol., 28 :1-84.
Subramanian, C.V. (1991). An Interesting new Hyphomycete genus with basauxic conidiophores and other unique features. Cun. Set., S O : 656-659.
Subramanian, C.V. and Bhat, D J . (1977).
Bahusutrabeeja, a new genus of me Hyphomycetes.
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