Asteromella
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
Asteromella Pass. & Thüm., in Thümen, Mycoth. Univ., cent.17: no. 1689 (1880)
Epifoliar on the upper surface of living leaves. Colonies forming blackened 0.2–0.4 mm circular areas. Sexual morph: Undetermined. Asexual morph: Pycnidia hypophyllous, dark brown to black, globose to subglobose, superficial with irregular margins, sometimes sparsely scattered or not entirely distributed on surface of leaves. Peridium thick walled comprised of cells of textura globulosa. Conidiophores reduced to conidiogenous cells. Conidiogenous cells enteroblastic, phialidic, integrated or less often discrete, determinate, hyaline (Sutton 1980, van der Aa & Vanev 2002). Conidia simple, cylindrical to ovoid, hyaline, 1–septate, ellipsoidal to cylindrical, eguttulate.
Type species – Asteromella ovata Thüm.
Notes – Asteromella, introduced by Passerini & Thümen (1880), is a large genus of plant-inhabiting coelomycetous fungi presently referred to Dothideomycetes incertae sedis (Hyde et al. 2011, Wijayawardene et al. 2018). The type species, Asteromella ovata, is a coelomycetous fungus producing minute, bacteria-like spores and was found on leaves of Menispermum canadense in Italy. The characteristics of the type species provided by Thümen (1880) are conidiomata, conidia and dark lesions of host plant leaves caused by the fungus. The genus Asteromella has been critically monographed by Ruszkiewicz-Michalska (2016). Currently, there are around 265 species listed (Index Fungorum 2019). The sexual morph is unknown. We did microscopic observation of the holotype specimen of Asteromella ovata from S herbarium and compared morphological characters with the original protologue. Due to its ‘Phoma’ like conidia and limited morphological characters, we retain the genus to Dothideomycetes genera incertae sedis.
References
Hyde KD, McKenzie EHC, Koko TW. 2011 – Towards incorporating anamorphic fungi in a natural classification – checklist and notes for 2010. Mycosphere 2, 1–88.
Index Fungorum. 2019 – http://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/Names.asp (Accessed 17 May 2019).
Ruszkiewicz-Michalska M. 2016 –The genus Asteromella (Fungi, Ascomycota) in Poland. Monographiae Botanicae 106, 1–164.
Sutton BC. 1980 – The Coelomycetes. Fungi imperfecti with pycnidia, acervuli and stromata. Wallingford: CABI Publishing 1–696.
Thümen FV. 1880 – Mycotheca Universalis, Centurie 17 (1601-1700). Bulletin de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou.
Van der Aa HA, Vanev S. 2002 – Revision of the species described in Phyllosticta. Utrecht: Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures. (Eds. Aptroot A, Summerbel RC, Verkley GJ.) CBS, Centralbureau voor Schimmelcultures, Utrecht an Institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Pp 510.
Wijayawardene NN, Hyde KD, Lumbsch HT, Liu JK et al. 2018 – Outline of Ascomycota: 2017. Fungal Diversity 88, 167–263.
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