Capnodiales » Euantennariaceae » Hormisciomyces

Hormisciomyces bellus

Hormisciomyces bellus Bat. & Carneiro [as 'bellum'], Atas Inst. Micol. Univ. Recife 1: 262 (1960).

Index Fungorum number: IF 332014; Facesoffungi number: FoF 11056, Fig. 1

Description:

Foliar epiphytes appearing as “sooty moulds” involving black mycelium masses on surface of leaves. Sexual morph: Unknown. Asexual morph: Mycelium comprising dense, brown to dark brown, friable, branched, septate hyphae, which are deeply constricted at the septa, thick-walled, moniliform, and anastomosing, having cells of 17–20 × 12–16 μm. Conidiophores 15−20 × 10−15 µm (x̄ = 16.2 × 10.2 µm, n = 10), arising from hyphae, erect, simple or branched, pubescent, brown, septate, cylindrical. Phialides develop on moniliform hyphae, which are more or less subsphaerical, ellipsoidal to cylindrical, tapered or slightly flared, pale brown to brown, phialides occurring in groups on hyphae or globose, pale brown to brown, with collarette. Phialoconidia 16−20 × 7−8 µm (x̄ = 19 × 7.5 µm, n = 10), brown, 1-3 septate, smooth-walled.

Material examined: Puerto Rico, Maricao, on Vitex sp. (Lamiaceae), 18 November 1913 (ILL00081779).

Fig. 1 Hormisciomyces bellus (ILL00081779). a–c Herbarium material and appearance of mycelium on host surface. d Squash mount of mycelium. e–k Conidiophores, phialides and conidia. Scale bars: b = 2000 μm, c = 1000 μm, d, e = 20 μm, f–h = 30 μm, i = 50 μm, j, k = 10 μm.

Importance and distribution

Species of Hormisciomyces are sooty moulds. They form black fungal growths on the surface of leaves blocking light and air circulation (Hongsanan et al. 2015). Hormisciomyces comprises three species known on eleven host plants namely Clusia sp., Drypetes alba, Elaphoglossum sp., Eupatorium sp. (Bromeliaceae), Ilex sp. (Aquifoliaceae), Jacaranda arborescens (Bignoniaceae), Musa paradisiaca (Musaceae), Pitcairnia angustifolia (Bromeliaceae), Psidium guava (Myrtaceae), Rondeletia sp. (Rubiaceae) and Vitex sp. (Lamiaceae). Hormisciomyces is distributed in Caribbean (Cuba, Puerto Rico) and North America (Virgin Islands, West Indies). Fresh collections of Hormisciomyces are needed as molecular data is lacking.

Quarantine significance

Hormisciomyces may be of quarantine significance as it causes marketability problems, due to black mycelium coating the surface of important crops, such as grapes, affecting by-products such as wine quality (Wine Australia 2020) and vegetables (for example tomato) (Nelson 2008).

References

Hongsanan S, Tian Q, Peršoh D, Zeng XY et al. 2015 – Meliolales. Fungal Diversity 74, 91–141.

Hughes SJ 1976 – Sooty moulds. Mycologia, 68, 693–820.

Hughes SJ. 1972 – New Zealand fungi 17. Pleomorphism in Euantennariaceae and Metacapnodiaceae, two new families of sooty moulds. New Zealand Journal of Botany 10, 225–242.

Hughes SJ. 1974 – New Zealand Fungi 22. Euantennaria with Antennatula and Hormisciomyces states. New Zealand Journal of Botany 12, 299–356.

Nelson S. 2008 – Sooty mold. Honolulu (HI): University of Hawaii. Plant Disease, 6 p.

Sivanesan A. 1984 – The bitunicate Ascomycetes and their anamorphs, J Cramer, Vaduz, Liechtenstein.

Wijayawardene NN, Hyde KD, Rajeshkumar KC, Hawksworth DL et al. 2017 – Notes for genera: Ascomycota. Fungal Diversity 86, 1–594.

Wine Australia Annual Report 2020–21. Australian Government.