Monotosporella rhizoidea is described, and illustrated with light and scanning electron micrographs, from submerged wood in Hong Kong. Our collection differs from the protologue, in having smaller conidia and longer conidiophores. The formation of multiple lobes which swell downwards over the conidiophore or existing conidiogenous cells is an unusual feature in Monotosporella. A synopsis and a key, as well as diagrammatic representations of the species of Monotosporella are provided.Key Words freshwater fungi; hyphomycetes; lignicolous fungi; systematics.We have been investigating the fungi occurring on wood submerged in freshwater (Hyde, 1995;Hyde and Goh, 1997;Hyde et al., 1998) and in this paper we report on a collection of Monotosporella rhizoidea. It differs from the protologue in having smaller conidia and longer conidiophores. The repeated percurrent proliferations of the conidiogenous cells, and the formation of lobes which swell downwards over the conidiophore or existing conidiogenous cells is typical of this species, and in this paper this feature is more elaborately illustrated. Submerged wood was collected from the Plover Cove Reservoir and returned to the laboratory in sterile plastic bags. Samples were incubated in moist plastic boxes at room temperature and examined periodically over 2-3 mo. All measurements were made in water. Single spore cultures were obtained as follows: a suspension of the conidia in sterile distilled water was pipetted onto potato dextrose agar (PDA) plates. Single conidia were allowed to germinate (ca. 2d) and transferred to PDA plates for further growth.
Acanthophysis-like structures which commonly occur on submerged wood in the tropics are described and illustrated at the light microscope level. These are produced on fibre-like or rope-like strands and produce numerous detachable spinulose cells at their ends. These cells lack contents, do not germinate, and do not appear to be dispersal propagules. The acanthophysis-like structures may function as rhizomorphs enabling the fungus to colonize adjacent woody tissue, or serve to uptake oxygen from the water and these possibilities are discussed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.