Two pleosporalean root-colonizing fungi, Fuscosphaeria hungarica gen. et sp. nov. and Delitschia chaetomioides, from a semiarid grassland in Hungary

Abstract

In this study, we investigated two unidentified lineages of root-colonizing fungi belonging to the order Pleosporales (Dothideomycetes), which were isolated from Festuca vaginata (Poaceae), a dominant grass species in the semiarid sandy grasslands of Hungary. For molecular phylogenetic studies, seven loci (internal transcribed spacer, partial large subunit and small subunit region of nrRNA, partial transcription elongation factor 1-α, RNA polymerase II largest subunit, RNA polymerase II second largest subunit, and ß-tubulin genes) were amplified and sequenced. Based on morphology and multilocus phylogenetic analyses, we found that one lineage belonged to Delitschia chaetomioides P. Karst. (Delitschiaceae), and the isolates of the other lineage represented a novel monotypic genus in the family Trematosphaeriaceae (suborder Massarineae). For this lineage, we proposed a new genus, Fuscosphaeria, represented by a single species, F. hungarica. In both lineages, only immature and degenerated sporocarps could be induced. These were sterile, black, globose, or depressed globose structures with numerous mycelioid appendages submerged in culture media or on the surface of autoclaved plant materials. Both species are first reported here as root-colonizing fungi.

Two new root endophyte and nematode cyst parasite species of the widely distributed genus Laburnicola

“…The shape of these occasionally produced conidia resembles the peanut-or oval-shaped thalloconidia of L. rhizohalophila (Yuan et al 2020); however, we did not observe conidial chains in the case of the L. nematophila isolates in our in vitro experiments. Ascomata were neither detected for L. rhizohalophila nor for the two Laburnicola species described here, similarly to other DSE fungi (Jumpponen and Trappe 1998;Sieber and Grünig 2013;Knapp et al 2015;Vohník et al 2019;Yuan et al 2020;Zheng et al 2020;Pintye and Knapp 2021;Romero-Jiménez et al 2022). It was not possible to induce ascomata formation despite considerable efforts.…”

“…globoid ascomata of L. dactylidis, the smallest ascomata in the genus (Wanasinghe et al 2016). Since these structures were only produced occasionally, they might represent immature structures and could only be observed in L. nematophila; therefore, we applied here the unique fixed allele positions in the diagnosis and description of the two novel Laburnicola species similarly to other asexual, non-sporulating DSE species (Knapp et al 2015;Ashrafi et al 2018;Pintye and Knapp 2021).…”

Crassoascoma gen. nov. (Lentitheciaceae, Pleosporales): Unrevealing Microfungi from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China

“…Pleosporales is the largest order in Dothideomycetes, which includes approximately 91 families and 606 genera (including 48 genera incertae sedis) [3]. However, the numbers are constantly increasing with the establishment of new taxa [4][5][6][7].…”

Poaceascoma zborayi sp. nov. and Agrorhizomyces patris gen. et spec. nov. – Two novel dark septate endophytes colonizing wheat (Triticum aestivum) roots from a cropland in Hungary

“…Here we introduced and formally described two novel pleosporalean DSE species, Poaceascoma zborayi and Agrorhizomyces patris isolated from healthy wheat roots from an agricultural field. There are more than 40 well-identified and investigated pleosporalean species considered as DSEs in genera Acrocalymma, Alternaria, Alfoldia, Aquilomyces, Curvularia, Darksidea, Delitchia, Drechslera, Flavomyces, Fuscosphaeria, Kiskunsagia, Laburnicola, Murispora, Periconia, Polydomus, Posidoniomyces, Setophoma and numerous further undescribed lineages belonging to families mainly of suborders Pleosporineae and Massarineae (Knapp et al 2012(Knapp et al , 2015(Knapp et al , 2018(Knapp et al , 2022Zhang et al 2012;Andrade-Linares and Franken 2013;Sieber and Grünig 2013;Knapp and Kovács 2016;Jumpponen et al 2017;Vohník et al 2019;Crous et al 2019;Pereira et al 2019;Crous et al 2021;Pintye and Knapp 2021;Romero-Jiménez et al 2022;Ashrafi et al 2023). The majority of the known pleosporalean DSE species originated from natural ecosystems.…”