Veronaea aquatica sp. nov. (Herpotrichiellaceae, Chaetothyriales, Eurotiomycetes) from submerged bamboo in China

Abstract

Freshwater fungi are highly diverse and ecologically important in freshwater systems. In China, more than 1000 species of freshwater fungi are known. Here, we present a brown-spored hyphomycetes that was collected on a submerged decaying bamboo culm in a forest stream in China. Phylogenetic analyses of combined LSU, ITS and TUB2 sequences confirm the placement of our new strain in Veronaea (Herpotrichiellaceae), sister to V. japonica. Veronaea aquatica sp. nov. differs from related taxa V. compacta and V. japonica in having longer conidiophores and cylindrical to pyriform or subclavate conidia with 0–2 septa. Veronaea aquatica also has darker brown hyphae compared to V. japonica. A morphological description and detailed illustrations of V. aquatica are provided.

A metagenomic view on fungal diversity in freshwater lakes

“…Ascomycota, the dominant phylum in our study, includes > 3000 species that are specialized on a saprobic lifestyle in freshwater habitats where they successfully grow and sporulate (Shearer et al 2007, Kirk et al 2008, Shearer and Raja 2010. In line with this, many of the most dominant orders in our study belonging to the phylum Ascomycota were those known to represent aquatic fungi, such as Eurotiales, Hypocreales, Pezizales, Diaporthales, Sordariales, Xylariales, Mucorales, Chaetothyriales, Helotiales, Saprolegniales, Peronosporales and Pleosporales (Shearer et al 2007, Shearer and Raja 2010, Embree and Indoh 1967, Chandrasiri et al 2021, Kohout et al 2012, Beakes and Sekimoto 2009, and could represent indwellers in the lakes. Aquatic Saprolegniales are widespread animal pathogens of salmonids, amphibians and crustaceans (Bruno et al 2011, Hussein and Hatai, 2002, Fregeneda-Grandes et al 2007).…”

The Biodiversity of Microfungi Isolated from the Bark of the Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)

“…Exophiala (E. salmonis) and Veronaea (V. botryosa). The close relationship between V. botryosa and E. salmonis was also seen in prior studies (Wang et al 2019;Quan et al 2020;Chandrasiri et al 2021). Because of this, the possibility of accommodating E. ramicatenata in a new genus was considered.…”

“…Recent major phylogenetic analyses of the Herpotrichiellaceae often used the LSU and ITS gene for phylogenetic analyses (Texeira et al 2017;Quan et al 2020;Chandrasiri et al 2021). Elongation Factor 1-α, (EF) also appears to be commonly sequenced in…”

“…Members of the genus Veronaea produce denticulate sympodial conidiophores but are considered distinct from Rhinocladiella by septate conidia and lack of synanamorphs (Arzanlou et al 2007b). There are 21 known species of Veronaea, but only five have been sequenced (Chandrasiri et al 2021). Species of Veronaea have been isolated from various substrates including dung and litter (Arzanlou et al 2007b).…”

“…conidia(Arzanlou et al 2017b;Chandrasiri et al 2021). E. ramicatenata is morphologically similar to species such as E. brunnea, E. dopicola, E. dermatitidis and E. moniliae.…”