Asterina chandrahasaii P.D. Natekar, M.R. Bhise & S.V. Kambhar, 2025

Asterina chandrahasaii P.D. Natekar, M.R. Bhise & S.V. Kambhar sp. nov. Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2

MycoBank 853642

Etymology: —Named in honour of Dr. Chandrahas Patil, a distinguished retired professor of mycology from Shivaji University, Kolhapur.

Colonies epiphyllous, up to 3 mm in diameter, sub-dense, confluent. Hyphae flexuous, branching opposite, at acute to wide angles and forming loosely reticulate mat, cells 12–20 × 2–4 µm. Appressoria scattered, few, alternate, two celled 8.5–11.5 × 6–9.5 µm; stalk cells cylindrical to cuneate, 2–3.5 × 3–4 µm; head cells ovate, globose, straight to variously curved, irregularly sub-lobate to lobate, 5.5–10 × 6–10 µm. Thyriothecia scattered, orbicular up to 150 µm in diameter, stellately dehisced at the centre, margin crenate; asci few, globose, octosporous, up to 27 µm in diameter; ascospores oblong, cylindrical, uniseptate, slightly constricted at the septum, upper cell globose, lower cell attenuated at the base, 11–15 × 4–9 µm. Pycnothyria numerous, similar to thyriothecia; pycnothyriospores pyriform, broadly rounded at the apex and narrowed towards the base, few spores possess hyaline band at the middle, 15–21.5 × 11–13 µm.

Distribution:— India (Maharashtra)

Material examined:— On living leaves of Flacourtia indica (Burm. f.) Merr. ( Salicaceae ), Devadhe, Ratnagiri, Maharashtra; 17°57’42”N 73°10’03”E, elev. 285 m, 12/01/2022, PDN–5061, AMH –10675 (holotype).

Notes:— Hosagoudar (2012) described Asterina flacourtiacearum Hosag. & K. Ravik. On Scolopia crenata (Wight & Arn.) Clos from Tamil Nadu and on unidentified host of Salicaceae ( Flacourtiaceae ) from Karnataka. The present collection differs in most of the morphotaxonomical characters in having only epiphyllous colonies, undulate mycelium with opposite to irregular pattern of branching, only 2-celled appressoria with head cell irregularly lobate and stalk cell not many celled; Thyriothecium is smaller in size; Asci also smaller in size ( Table 2). Ascospores are also smaller in size, therefore based on these characters and host specificity, the present collection is treated as a species new to science, for the first time reported on new host from Maharashtra state.

Characters Asterina caseariae A. flacourtiacearum A. chandrahasaii

Host Casearia tomentosa Scolopia crenata Flacourtia indica

Colony Amphigenous, thin, 3 Amphigenous, 2, mostly Epiphyllous, dense, 3

diam. (mm) epiphyllous

Hyphal cell Branching irregular, hyphae Branching alternate, hyphae Branching opposite to irregular,

(µm) flexuous, straight, hyphae undulate,

16–21 × 2–4 24–31 × 5–7 12–19.5 × 2–3.5

Appressoria Only two celled, Two celled rarely many celled, Only two celled,

8–10 × 6–8 µm; stalk cells 9–30 × 9–13 µm; stalk cells 8.5–11.5 × 6–9.5 µm; stalk unicelled, 2–4 µm long; head rarely 3-celled, 3–22 µm long; cells unicelled, 2–3.5 µm long; cells ovate, clavate, globose, head cells obpyriform 2-3 head cells irregularly lobate, straight to variously curved, lobate, 6–10 × 9–13 µm 5.5–10 × 6–10 µm

hamate, 5–8 × 6–8 µm

Thyriothecia diam. (µm) 110 190 143

Asci Up to 28 Up to 31–41 Up to 17–28

diam. (µm)

Ascospores 18–20 × 8–10 24–28 × 12–16 11–14.5 × 4.5–9

(µm)

Pycnothyri-um Similar to thyriothecia Up to 90 µm diam. Up to 84 µm diam.

Pycnothyri-ospores (µm) 15–18 × 8–10 15–22 × 15–19 15–21.5 × 11–13