Pyrenomycetes Species Page

Chaetosphaeria luquillensis

Small separate ascomata
Small clustered ascomata
didymospore
F.A. Fernández & Huhndorf, Fungal Diversity 18: 32. 2005

Sordariomycetidae
Chaetosphaeriales
Figure from SMH2973
Complete Description
Ascomata broadly ovoid to ampulliform, dark brown, 168-224 µm diam., 186-198 µm high, separate, superficial to partly immersed, occurring scattered, with sparse, scattered setae on the substrate. Setae light brown, multiseptate, slender, tapering to an acute apex. Ascomatal wall in surface view, opaque in water, textura epidermoidea in lactophenol, 12-20 µm thick in longitudinal section, composed of pseudoparenchymatic cells. Ascomatal apex papillate, acute, short. Paraphyses sparse, simple, septate. Asci unitunicate, cylindro-clavate, short-stalked, 79-90 x 9-12 µm, firm-walled, thin apical cap, with eight irregular to biseriately arranged ascospores. Ascospores hyaline, fusiform, sometimes inequilateral, sometimes ends curved opposite directions, mostly one-septate, sometimes two or three-septate, covered with a gelatinous sheath, 15-19 x 4-5.5 µm. Anamorph: Dematiaceous phialidic. Conidiophores single, light brown, cylindrical, mostly multiseptate, 49.5-90 x 4-5.1 µm on CMA, 28-104 x 3-4.8 µm on the substrate. Conidiogenous cell a phialide, cylindrical, most often proliferating sympodially to produce multiple lateral conidiogenous loci, sometimes proliferating percurrently, 12-40 x 4-4.5 µm on CMA, 29-41 x 4.5-6.3 µm on the substrate. Setae singly on the substrate, multiseptate, light brown, 124-190 x 5-6.5 µm, tapering to a rounded apex, 3-4.7 µm wide. Conidia obclavate, mostly bent and rounded at apex on CMA, straight and acute at apex on the substrate, hyaline, 29-43 x 3.4-3.9 µm on CMA, 40-49 x 2.7-3 µm on the substrate. For additional culture characteristics see Fernández and Huhndorf (2005).
Occurrence
Found on decaying wood. Only known and figure from one collection from Puerto Rico (SMH2973).
Similar Taxa Comments
Chaetosphaeria luquillensis can be compared to the tropical species C. arecacensis K.D. Hyde, Goh, Joanne E. Taylor & J. Fröhl. (Hyde et al., 1999) in having ascospores surrounded by a gelatinous sheath. It can also be compared to C. callimorpha in morphologies of ascospores and conidiophores. However, the obclavate shape and three-septate conidia in C. luquillensis are unique and have not been previously associated with any species of Chaetosphaeria. Conidium shape resembles that of Phialogeniculata guadalcanalensis Matsush. and Chloridium obclaviforme J. Mena & Mercado.