Figure 4 - uploaded by Yanpeng Chen
Content may be subject to copyright.
Periconia chimonanthi (HUEST 22.0134). (a,b) Colonies on the natural substrate; (c,d) conidiophores with spherical conidial heads; (e,f) conidial heads bearing conidiogenous cells and conidia; (g-k) conidia; (l) germinating conidium; (m,n) colony on PDA from above and below. Scale bars: (c) = 100 µm, (e,g,i) = 10 µm. Scale bar of (c) applies to (d). Scale bar of (e) applies to (f). Scale bar of (g) applies to (h-k).
Source publication
Periconia is a polyphyletic and asexual morphic genus within the family Periconiaceae (Pleosporales). The genus is characterized by a pale to dark brown stipe with an apical conidial head and ellipsoidal to oblong conidia. Species of Periconia are widely distributed throughout the world in various hosts, while most species are isolated from gramina...
Citations
... The effects of endophytic fungi on the morphological parameters of cucumber are shown in Fig. 4. Most of the growth parameters evaluated in cucumber improved by both when compared with those of the experimental control, with As reported in the literature (Elis 1971;Tanaka et al. 2015;Hongsanan et al. 2020), most Periconia species are mainly known from their asexual morphs, characterized by conidiophores that are macronematous, mononematous, branched or unbranched, and pale to dark brown. Conidiogenous cells are discrete on the terminal or intercalary of the stipe and are monoblastic to polyblastic (Markovskaja and Kačergius 2014;Chuaseeharonnachai et al. 2016;Su et al. 2023). The conidia of Periconia species are globose to ellipsoidal, catenate or solitary, smooth or verruculose, and pale brown to brown (Ellis 1971(Ellis , 1976Seifert and Gams 2011;Calvillo-Medina et al. 2020). ...
Cucurbits are subject to a variety of stresses that limit their sustainable production, despite their important role in ensuring food security and nutrition. Plant stress tolerance can be enhanced through fungal endophytes. In this study, two endophytes isolated from wild plant roots, were tested to determine their effect on the growth promotion of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) plants. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the designated isolates were Aspergillus elegans and Periconia macrospinosa. The results of the Plant Growth Promoting Fungal (PGPF) tests showed that both Aspergillus elegans and Periconia macrospinosa have a zinc solubilizing capacity, especially A. elegans, with a solubilization index higher than 80%. Also, both have a high salt tolerance (10–15% NaCl for P. macrospinosa and A. elegans, respectively), cellulolytic activity, and inhibition indices of 40–64.53%. A. elegans and P. macrospinosa had antagonistic effects against the cucumber phytopathogenic fungi Verticillium dahliae and Fusarium oxysporum, respectively. However, A. elegans and P. macrospinosa didn’t exhibit certain potential plant benefits, such as the production of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and phosphate solubilization. The chlorophyll content and growth parameters of two-month-old cucumber plants inoculated with the fungal species were significantly better than those of the controls (non-inoculated); the shoot dry weights of inoculated plants were increased by 138% and 170% for A. elegans and P. macrospinosa, respectively; and the root colonization by fungal endophytes has also been demonstrated. In addition to the fact that P. macrospinosa has long been known as PGPF, this is the first time that the ability of A. elegans to modulate host plant growth has been demonstrated, with the potential to be used as a biofertilizer in sustainable agriculture.
... However, some species have been reported as endophytes, plant pathogens (e.g. P. cicirnata, P. digitata and P. macrospinosa) and human pathogens, as well as producing economically-important bioactive compounds (Sarkar et al. 2019;Gunasekaran et al. 2021;Hongsanan et al. 2020;Samarakoon et al. 2021;Azhari and Supratman 2021;Yang et al. 2022b;Su et al. 2023). Even though over 200 species of Periconia were listed in Index Fungorum (http://www.indexfungorum.org; ...
... This suggests that there is a huge research gap in the taxonomic classification of the genus Periconia. In the present study, we follow the latest taxonomic treatment of Yang et al. (2022b) and Su et al. (2023) and the new species Periconia kunmingensis occurring on fern, is introduced. ...
This article presents the results of an ongoing inventory of Ascomycota in Yunnan, China, carried out as part of the research project series “Exploring ascomycete diversity in Yunnan”. From over 100 samples collected from diverse host substrates, microfungi have been isolated, identified and are currently being documented. The primary objective of this research is to promote the discovery of novel taxa and explore the ascomycete diversity in the region, utilising a morphology-phylogeny approach. This article represents the second series of species descriptions for the project and introduces three undocumented species found in the families Bambusicolaceae, Dictyosporiaceae and Periconiaceae, belonging to the suborder Massarineae (Pleosporales, Dothideomycetes). These novel taxa exhibit typical morphological characteristics of Bambusicola, Periconia and Trichobotrys, leading to their designation as Bambusicola hongheensis, Periconia kunmingensis and Trichobotrys sinensis. Comprehensive multigene phylogenetic analyses were conducted to validate the novelty of these species. The results revealed well-defined clades that are clearly distinct from other related species, providing robust support for their placement within their respective families. Notably, this study unveils the phylogenetic affinity of Trichobotrys within Dictyosporiaceae for the first time. Additionally, the synanamorphism for the genus Trichobotrys is also reported for the first time. Detailed descriptions, illustrations and updated phylogenies of the novel species are provided, and thus presenting a valuable resource for researchers and mycologists interested in the diversity of ascomycetes in Yunnan. By enhancing our understanding of the Ascomycota diversity in this region, this research contributes to the broader field of fungal taxonomy and their phylogenetic understanding.
... Subsequently, Tanaka et al. [11] reclassified Periconia in Periconiaceae based on the multi-locus phylogenetic analysis, which showed that Periconia species formed a distinct cluster separate from Massarinaceae. Until now, the latest treatment of Periconia by Tanaka et al. [11] has been followed by subsequent studies [12][13][14][15][16][17]. Most Periconia species have been reported based on their asexual morphs, while five species have been reported based on their sexual morphs, viz., P. didymosporum, P. homothallica, P. igniaria, P. prolifica, and P. pseudodigitata [11,17]. ...
... Until now, the latest treatment of Periconia by Tanaka et al. [11] has been followed by subsequent studies [12][13][14][15][16][17]. Most Periconia species have been reported based on their asexual morphs, while five species have been reported based on their sexual morphs, viz., P. didymosporum, P. homothallica, P. igniaria, P. prolifica, and P. pseudodigitata [11,17]. The asexual morph is mainly characterized by macronematous, mononematous, brown, branched, or unbranched conidiophores, with brown, ovoid to clavate or spherical conidial heads, intercalary or terminal conidiogenous cells with catenate or solitary, golden brown to dark brown, globose to subglobose, aseptate, smooth or verruculose conidia [11,15,[18][19][20][21]. ...
... The asexual morph is mainly characterized by macronematous, mononematous, brown, branched, or unbranched conidiophores, with brown, ovoid to clavate or spherical conidial heads, intercalary or terminal conidiogenous cells with catenate or solitary, golden brown to dark brown, globose to subglobose, aseptate, smooth or verruculose conidia [11,15,[18][19][20][21]. The sexual morph is characterized by immersed or erumpent, scattered or aggregated, globose to subglobose, ostiolate ascomata, hyaline periphyses, 8-spored, bitunicate, cylindrical, pedicellate asci, with an ocular chamber, and fusiform, 1-septate, hyaline, guttulate, smooth-walled ascospores with an entire sheath [16,17,22,23]. ...
During a survey of fungi on Wurfbainia villosa in Guangdong Province, China, three novel species, Periconia endophytica, P. yangjiangensis, and P. wurfbainiae, belonging to Periconiaceae in Pleosporales, Dothideomycetes are proposed based on morphological and phylogenetic evidence. Periconia endophytica was isolated from the healthy leaves of W. villosa, while P. yangjiangensis and P. wurfbainiae were obtained from the dead stems of the same host. Notably, holomorphs were observed in P. wurfbainiae. The morphological characteristics of the novel taxa are compared with closely related species within Periconia. Illustrations, morphological descriptions, and phylogenetic analyses are provided for the novel taxa. Multilocus phylogeny of the combined internal transcribed spacer (ITS), large subunit nuclear rDNA (LSU), small subunit nuclear ribosomal rDNA (SSU), and partial translation elongation factor 1–α (tef1-α) regions supported the establishment of three new species. Furthermore, the taxa clustering in Periconia, Flavomyces fulophazii, and Sporidesmium tengii, are discussed for further investigation of their taxonomic placements.
... This family comprised four genera, Bambusistroma, Flavomyces, Noosia, and Periconia (Wijayawardene et al. 2022), however, Yang et al. (2022 synonymised Bambusistroma and Noosia under Periconia based on phylogenetic analyses and morphological examinations. Periconia is a polyphyletic genus in Periconiaceae, comprising 124 species listed in Species Fungorum (Kirk 2023), but only 37 species have sequence data (Su et al. 2023). Periconia species are mostly saprobic on various plant substrates in terrestrial habitats and widely distributed in temperate and tropical climates. ...
... Periconia species are mostly saprobic on various plant substrates in terrestrial habitats and widely distributed in temperate and tropical climates. They are also reported as endophytes and pathogens (Knapp et al. 2015;Sarkar et al. 2019;Samarakoon et al. 2021;Su et al. 2023), such as P. circinata causes blackening and rotting of wheat roots and base of stems, P. macrospinosa causes leaf necrosis in the pointed gourd (Cucurbitaceae), and P. atra causes human corneal ulcers (Goga 2000;Sarkar et al. 2019;Gunasekaran et al. 2021). In addition, many species, including Periconia atropurpurea and P. siamensis, are capable of producing aromatic chemicals and macrolide compounds with significant pharmacological activities (Teles et al. 2006;Bhilabutra et al. 2007). ...
... The asexual morphs of Periconia are characterised by macronematous, mononematous, brown, septate, thick-walled, branched, or unbranched conidiophores, with bearing monoblastic to polyblastic, integrated or discrete conidiogenous cells on stipe and branches, and producing globose to ellipsoidal, catenate or solitary, aseptate, verruculose or echinulate conidia (Su et al. 2023). However, only five species have been described from their sexual morphs: P. didymosporum, P. homothallica, P. igniaria, P. prolifica, and P. pseudodigitata. ...
During an ongoing investigation of bambusicolous fungi in Sichuan province, China, five hyphomycetous taxa were collected and recognized as members of Sordariomycetes. Based on morphological comparisons, culture characteristics, and the multi-locus phylogenetic analyses of combined SSU, ITS, LSU, rpb2 and tef1α sequence dataset, five species, viz. Conioscypha sichuanensis, Conlarium guizhouense, Rhexoacrodictys fimicola, R. melanospora, Wongia bambusae are identified. Conioscypha sichuanensis formed a sister lineage to Conio. bambusicola, which was also found from a bamboo host but can be distinguished from Conio. sichuanensis by different conidial shape. Wongia bambusae is characterized by unbranched, septate conidiophores and cylindric-fusiform conidia, and is most similar to W. ficherai. However, they are phylogenetically distinct. Conlarium guizhouense and R. melanospora, were recollected from the bamboo hosts in terrestrial habitats and reported as new host records in this study. Detailed descriptions and notes on the phylogenetic placement of these species are provided.
During an ongoing survey on microfungal diversity in Sichuan Province, China, several specimens of hyphomycetous fungi were collected from decaying branches of Betulaceae plants. Through morphological analysis and a multi-locus phylogenetic study based on the small subunit ribosomal RNA, the internal transcribed spacer, the large subunit ribosomal RNA, and the partial beta-tubulin region, we have identified that these new collections belong to the genus Veronaea, leading us to propose Veronaea polyconidia sp. nov. According to multi-locus phylogenetic analyses, V. polyconidia represents a sister clade to V. botryosa. Morphologically, V. polyconidia is distinct from V. botryosa by its relatively larger conidia and longer conidiophores. Detailed morphological distinctions between the new species and their close relatives are provided. Additionally, the phylogenetic findings in this study, along with morphological comparisons, indicate that V. constricta is conspecific with V. botryosa. Prioritizing the oldest epithet, we have synonymized V. constricta under V. botryosa. These findings not only broaden our understanding of the fungal diversity in Sichuan Province, China but also enhance our comprehension of the broader genus Veronaea.
Fungi belonging to the family Stachybotryaceae play crucial roles in ecosystem dynamics, particularly in decomposing plant materials and pathogens on plants and animals. In this study, we report the isolation of two hitherto unknown hyphomycet-ous and myrothecium-like fungi collected from two different Poaceae plants in Sichuan Province, China. Molecular analysis based on ITS, LSU, TEF1, RPB2, TUB2, and CAL sequences of newly isolated strains revealed that they represent a previously undescribed species within the genus Myxospora. Phylogenetic investigations employing both maximum-likelihood (ML), maximum parsimony (MP) and Bayesian inference (BI) methods indicated that the new species forms a sister clade with M. masonii and M. graminicola. Nevertheless, M. poaceicola is distinct from these closely related species within the genus by having longer synnemata and wider conidia. We formally designate it as Myxospora poaceicola sp. nov. With the addition of M. poaceicola, the genus Myxospora now comprises six species. This discovery sheds light on the diversity of Myxospora fungi and underscores the importance of further taxonomic exploration in this genus.
The type genus of the Roussoellaceae family, Roussoella, is mainly known from monocotyledons, particularly on dead bamboo culms, mainly as a saprophyte. This study describes and illustrates two novel species of Roussoella viz. R. fusispora and R. sichuanensis associated with bamboo, collected from Sichuan Province, China. They were identified as new species based on morphology and phylogenetic analyses of a combined matrix of ITS, LSU, TEF1 and RPB2 gene regions. According to multi-gene phylogenetic analysis, R. sichuanensis represents a sister clade to R. multiloculata and R. verrucispora, whereas R. fusispora forms a sister clade to R. neopustulans. Roussoella fusispora exhibits distinct characteristics that differentiate it from R. neopustulans, specifically its relatively smaller asci and ascospores. Similarly, Roussoella sichuanensis can be distinguished from other closely related species primarily based on its comparatively smaller conidia and the presence of a white central ostiole opening on the conidiomata.
