Chuppia sarcinifera

Chuppia sarcinifera Deighton, in Deighton & Pirozynski, Mycol. Pap. 101: 32 (1965)                        Figs 39, 40

Index Fungorum number: IF328224; Facesoffungi number: FoF 06229

Saprobic or parasitic on leaves of Solanum lanugiflorum (Solanaceae). Sexual morph: Undetermined. Asexual morph: Hyphomycetous. Colonies epiphyllous, dark sooty brown, disk-shaped, with indefinite margin, numerous, covering upper surface of the leaf, often with presence of dense masses of conidia covering the leaf hairs. Sometimes, small hypophyllous colonies are present. Mycelium superficial composed of brown, branched, septate hyphae around 3–5 µm wide, loosely packed over the leaf surface, closely verruculose. Conidiophores micronematous, abundant, irregularly branched, olive brown, smooth, arising as erect continuous protrusions from swollen intercalary node-cells, dark-brown in colour with mammalliform protrusions 3–6 µm long, often ellipsoidal with formation of single conidium at the apex. Conidiogenous cells holoblastic, integrated, determinate, doliiform, terminal or intercalary, denticulate, yellow brown. Conidia 12–38 µm × 19–35 µm (x̅ = 29.6 × 25.8 µm, n = 10) solitary, pleurogenous, initially continuous becoming ellipsoidal to irregular in shape, muriform, sarciniform, constricted at the septa with a protuberant hilum, dark brown, smooth.

Material examined – VENEZUELA, Miranda, Los Teques, Edo Miranda, on Solanum lanugiflorum Pitt. (Solanaceae), 11 March 1938, AS Muller (CUP-VZ-002114, holotype).

Economic significance – Chuppia spp. have been reported to cause white angular leafspot, a disease of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L) (Vargas 1977). They are also responsible for degradation of para rubber leaf litter (Seephueak et al. 2010).