Neokalmusia arundinis Thambugala & K. D. Hyde

Neokalmusia arundinis Thambugala & K. D. Hyde View in CoL , Mycosphere 8: 722 (2017)

Fig. 8 View Figure 8

Description.

Saprobic on a dead stem of Sporobolus alterniflorus ( Poaceae ). Sexual morph: Ascomata 300–370 × 200–250 μm ( x ̄ = 340 × 230 μm, n = 6), immersed, appear as black dots, solitary, shiny, dark brown to black, sub-globose, uni-loculate, ostiolate. Peridium 14–22 μm wide ( x ̄ = 18 μm), composed of 3–4 layers of brown to dark brown, cells of textura angularis, thin-walled. Hamathecium comprising 1.5–3 μm wide, numerous, cellular, pseudoparaphyses. Asci 75–95 × 7–9 μm ( x ̄ = 85 × 8 μm, n = 20), 8 - spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, cylindric-clavate, long pedicellate, furcate at base, apically rounded with an indistinct ocular chamber. Ascospores 13–17 × 3.8–5.2 μm ( x ̄ = 15 × 4.2 μm, n = 30), overlapping, 1–2 - seriate, hyaline when immature, pale brown to dark brown at maturity, fusiform, 1 - septate, distinctly constricted at the septum, straight or slightly curved, asymmetrical, upper cell shorter than lower cell, often enlarged near septum in the upper cell, smooth-walled, Asexual morph: Undetermined.

Material examined.

China • Yunnan Province, Kunming , on dead stem of Sporobolus alterniflorus ( Poaceae ), 28 December 2024, D. S. Tennakoon, DSZ 21 ( SZU 25-019 , new host record) .

Known hosts.

Arundo pliniana , Panicum virgatum , Sporobolus alterniflorus ( Thambugala et al. 2017; Hongsanan et al. 2020; this study).

Known distribution.

China and Italy ( Thambugala et al. 2017; Hongsanan et al. 2020; this study).

Notes.

Neokalmusia arundinis was introduced by Thambugala et al. (2017) from a dead stem of Arundo pliniana in Italy. The morphology of our collection ( SZU 25-019 ) tallies well with the type of N. arundinis ( MFLU 16–2577 ) by having immersed, globose to sub-globose, scattered, dark brown ascomata with a clypeus, cylindric-clavate, long pedicellate asci, and fusiform, pale brown to brown, 1 - septate ascospores ( Thambugala et al. 2017). In addition, the sizes of ascomata (275–350 × 225–275 μm vs 300–370 × 200–250 μm), asci (60–85 × 8.5–10.5 μm vs 75–95 × 7–9 μm), and ascospores (11.8–16.2 × 4–5.4 μm vs 13–17 × 3.8–5.2 μm) also overlap between our collection and the type of N. arundinis ( MFLU 16–2577 ). According to the multi-gene phylogeny, our collection groups with other N. arundinis isolates in a well-supported clade (75 % ML, 1.00 BYPP). Therefore, we introduce our collection as a new host record of N. arundinis from Sporobolus alterniflorus in China.