Asterinema
Citation: Pem D et al. (2019) Mycosphere Notes 275-324: A morphotaxonomic revision and typification of obscure Dothideomycetes genera (incertae sedis). Mycosphere 10(1), 1115–1246
Asterinema Bat. & Gayão, Anais IV Congr. Soc. bot. Brasil: 160 (1953)
Biotrophic or parasitic on living leaves. Colonies forming roundish to irregular blackened blotches, sometimes in groups. Sexual morph: Thyriothecia circular with irregular margin, solitary or gregarious, semi-immersed to superficial, carbonaceous, and black. Peridium comprising several layers of compressed, brown-black, broad cells of textura angularis. Hamathecium sparse, hyaline, septate or aseptate, long pseudoparaphyses inclined towards the center. Asci 8-spored, bitunicate, fissitunicate, obclavate, with a short pedicel. Ascospores biseriate, hyaline, oblong to broadly ellipsoidal or subclavulate, guttulate, slightly constricted at the septum, wall minutely roughened upper cell wider and shorter than the lower cell. Asexual morph: Undetermined.
Type species – Asterinema caseariae Bat. & Gayão
Notes – Asterinema was introduced as a monotypic genus and accomodated in the family Asterinaceae (Batista & Gayao 1953, Wu et al. 2011). The genus is typified by A. caseariae which was found in Brazil. Later, three species and one variety were added by Batista et al. (1958). The genus is characterised by superficial hyphae with one-celled appressoria, thyriothecia with an irregular central ostiole and conglobate ascospores. The asci are in a horizontal position from the outer rim inclined towards central ostiole and are cylindro-clavate. The asexual morph of Asterinema is Eriothyrium (Kirk et al. 2008, Hyde et al. 2011). Müller and von Arx (1962) recognized this genus as comprising A. caseariae and A. glabratae Bat. & Maia. Farr (1983) revised the genus accepting only the type species A. caseariae, and a newly described variety A. caseariae var. amazonense, which was different from the type species in having eight ascospores in the ascus and oppositely arranged hyphopodia. Farr (1983) also placed this genus in Microthyriaceae. Later, Asterinema was excluded from Microthyriaceae because of the arrangement of cells in the thyriothecium (Wu et al. 2011). Cultures and sequences are unavailable hence the genus needs revision. Asterinema is placed in Dothideomycetes genera incertae sedis until recollected and analysed with molecular data.
References
Batista AC, Gayão TJ. 1953 – Vas e curiosas especies de Asterinaceae. Anais do IV Congresso Nacional da Sociedade Botânica do Brasil, 160–176.
Batista AC, Maia HS, Farr ML. 1958 – Novos generos e novas especies de fungos Asterinaceae. Revista de Biologia Lisbõa 1(3–4), 287–298.
Farr ML. 1983 – The genus Asterinema (Ascomycetes, Microthyriaceae). Mycologia 75, 1036–1043.
Hyde KD, McKenzie EHC, Koko TW. 2011 – Towards incorporating anamorphic fungi in a natural classification – checklist and notes for 2010. Mycosphere 2, 1–88.
Kirk P, Cannon PF, Minter DW, Stalpers JA. 2008 – Ainsworth & Bisby’s Dictionary of the Fungi, 10th edn. CAB International, Wallingford.
Müller E, Arx JA von. 1962 – Die Gattungen der didymosporen Pyrenomyceten. Beiträge zur Kryptogamenflora der Schweiz 11(2), 1–922.
Wu HX, Hyde KD, Chen H. 2011 – Studies on Microthyriaceae: placement of Actinomyxa, Asteritea, Cirsosina, Polystomellina and Stegothyrium. Cryptogamie Mycologie 32, 3–12.
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