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Polish Botanical Journal 50(1): 1–6, 2005
CINTRACTIA MAJEWSKII, A NEW SMUT FUNGUS
(USTILAGINOMYCETES) ON FIMBRISTYLIS (CYPERACEAE)
FROM AFRICA
MARCIN PIĄTEK & KÁLMÁN VÁNKY
Abstract. A new species of smut fungi, Cintractia majewskii M. Piątek & Vánky sp. nov. on Fimbristylis sp., collected in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa, is described, illustrated and compared with similar taxa. A key for the identifi cation
of the eight smut fungi on Fimbristylis spp. is provided.
Key words: Cintractia, new species, smut fungi, Ustilaginomycetes, Fimbristylis, taxonomy, Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Africa
Marcin Piątek, Department of Mycology, W. Szafer Institute of Botany, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lubicz 46, PL-31-512
Kraków, Poland; e-mail: mpiatek@ib-pan.krakow.pl
Kálmán Vánky, Herbarium Ustilaginales Vánky (HUV), Gabriel-Biel-Str. 5, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany; e-mail:
vanky.k@cityinfonetz.de
INTRODUCTION
Fimbristylis Vahl is a genus of Cyperaceae with
about 200 species worldwide, occurring mostly in
subtropical and tropical regions. On Fimbristylis
spp. seven species of smut fungi have been hitherto
recognized as good taxa: Cintractia axicola (Berk.)
Cornu, C. fi mbristylis-miliaceae (Henn.) S. Ito,
C. mitchellii Vánky, Dermatosorus fi mbristylidis
(Thirum. & Naras.) Langdon, Moreaua fi mbristy-
lidis Vánky & R. G. Shivas, M. mauritiana (Syd.)
Vánky and Pilocintractia fi mbristylidicola (Pavgi
& Mundk.) Vánky. On the closely related host
genus Bulbostylis Kunth, fi ve smut fungi have been
described: Cintractia bulbostylidis R. G. Shivas
& Vánky, Cintractia eleocharidis (Thirum.
& Pavgi) Vánky, Dermatosorus bulbostylidis
(Thirum. & Pavgi) Vánky, Moreaua bulbostylidis
M. Piepenbr. and Ustanciosporium kuwanoanum
(Togashi & Y. Maki) Vánky. Descriptions and il-
lustrations of these species can be found in recent
monographs and papers (Piepenbring 2000a–b;
Vánky 1987, 1997a–b, 2002, 2004, 2005; Vánky
& Shivas 2001).
When studying several unidentifi ed smut fungi
obtained on loan from BR, the fi rst author found
a remarkable specimen of Cintractia Cornu s.l. on
Fimbristylis sp. It was not Cintractia axicola, the
most common member of this genus, which forms
sori mostly around the pedunculi, and the author
thought that it is Cintractia eleocharidis. This as-
sumption was due mostly to the morphology of
the spores, which are similar in size to this latter
species, and whose surface is covered by confl uent
warts which form an irregular reticulum with ir-
regularly verruculose muri. This latter character is
visible under SEM while under LM the confl uent
warts appear as a barely visible reticulum. The
examination of this collection by the second author
revealed that it is not Cintractia eleocharidis, but
represents a still unknown species described and
illustrated below.
DESCRIPTION
Cintractia majewskii M. Piątek & Vánky, sp. nov.
Typus (hic designatus) in matrice Fimbristylis sp.,
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gungu, Mukulu,
06°00´S, 19°20´E, Jan. 1914, leg. H. Vanderyst, Holo-
typus in BR 121117-61!
2 POLISH BOTANICAL JOURNAL 50(1). 2005
Sori in omnibus fl oribus inconspicui, glumis obtecti,
globose vel ovoidei, 0.5–1.0 mm in diam., nigri, com-
positi e massa agglutinata sporarum cum pulveracea
superfi cie; infectio systemica; sporae solitariae, appla-
natae, lateraliter ellipticae, 7.0–9.5 µm latae, visu plano
subcirculares, ellipticae, ovoideae, paulo irregulares,
9.5–13.5 × 10.5–15.0(–16.0) µm, luteofuscae; paries
sporae paulo inaequalis, tenuior in applanatis partibus,
0.5–1.0 µm, crassus, superfi cies in LM dense et tenuiter
verruculosa, in faciei latere altero sporae laevigatae
tenuiter sinuosae, in SEM tenuiter et irregulariter
reticulatiformis cum irregulariter verruculosis muris;
hyalinae appendices absentes.
Sori (Fig. 1) in all fl owers of the spikelet,
inconspicuous, hidden by the glumes, globoid
or subacutely ovoid, 0.5–1.0 mm in diameter,
black, composed of an agglutinated spore mass
with powdery surface surrounding the basal part
of the innermost fl oral organs often with the an-
thers or stigmata protruding. Infection systemic,
all spikelets of an infl orescence affected. Spores
(Figs 2, 6–11) single, fl attened, in side view el-
liptic, 7.0–9.5 µm wide, in plane view subcircular,
elliptic, ovoid to slightly irregular, 9.5–13.5 ×
10.5–15.0(–16.0) µm, yellowish-brown; wall
slightly uneven, thinner on the fl attened sides,
0.5–1.0 µm thick, surface in LM densely, fi nely
verrucose, spore profi le smooth to fi nely wavy, in
SEM fi nely, irregularly reticulate with irregularly
verruculose muri. Hyaline appendages absent. The
spores are produced successively (Figs 3–5), on
the top of sporogenous hyphae arranged radially
on the surface of the host tissues. Between the
mass of sporogenous hyphae, distally narrowing
fascicles are present (10–15 µm wide, 60–100 µm
long), composed of sterile, elongated fungal cells
(Figs 3–5, arrows).
ETYMOLOGY. This species is dedicated to Pro-
fessor Tomasz Majewski, an outstanding Polish
mycologist. In the 1970s he elaborated, together
with Józef Kochman, a monograph of the smut
fungi of Poland, and later became a specialist on
rust fungi and especially Laboulbeniales.
HOST AND DISTRIBUTION. On Cyperaceae: Fim-
bristylis sp., Democratic Republic of the Congo,
Africa. Known only from the type collection.
DISCUSSION
The generic position of several smut fungi on Cy-
peraceae can be diffi cult to determine since the
genus Cintractia Cornu s.l. was split (Piepenbring
et al. 1999). This is also the case with Cintractia
majewskii, which shares the characters of both
Cintractia and Ustanciosporium Vánky emend.
M. Piepenbr. For instance, the structure of the sori
and spore formation, including the presence of fas-
cicles of sterile fungal cells support an affi nity to
the genus Cintractia. On the other hand, there is no
peridium around the sori, which is a characteristic
feature of the genus Ustanciosporium. In many
situations, molecular data can help in establishing
the generic placement, but molecular study of the
present species is impossible because the material
Fig. 1. Cintractia majewskii M. Piątek & Vánky, sp. nov.:
A – sori in spikelets of Fimbristylis sp., to the left two infected
plants, to the right two healthy infl orescences ( HOLOTYPE:
BR 121117-61). Scale bar = 1 cm; B – detail of an infected
spikelet of Fimbristylis sp. and two sori with remnants of
the anthers and stigmata (HOLOTYPE: BR 121117-61). Scale
bar = 1 mm.
M. PIĄTEK & K. VÁNKY: CINTRACTIA MAJEWSKII SP. NOV. 3
is too old. To give an example, Cintractia ama-
zonica Syd. & P. Syd. has a soral structure (no pe-
ridium and sterile stroma) similar to that of several
species accommodated in Ustanciosporium, but
molecular data have shown that it is closely related
to Cintractia axicola (Piepenbring & Oberwinkler
2003). Therefore, it seems that the presence of
a peridium is not an obligatory character for the
genus Cintractia, and we decided to accommodate
the new species in the genus Cintractia rather than
Ustanciosporium.
Cintractia axicola, the type species of the
genus Cintractia, forms sori usually at the bases
of the peduncles, rarely also in the spikelets, and
its spores are fi nely punctate-verruculose. In con-
trast, Cintractia majewskii has sori in all fl owers of
the spikelet. The sori are inconspicuous, hidden by
the glumes of the host plant. Attempts to identify
the host plant at the species level failed because
the two healthy infl orescence of Fimbristylis sp.,
present in the type collection, are immature and
sterile, and do not contain nuts.
More or less reticulate spore ornamenta-
tion is present also in Cintractia bulbostylidis,
C. eleocharidis, Ustanciosporium kuwanoanum
and Pilocintractia fi mbristylidicola. However,
all of these species have sets of characters
which differentiate them from C. majewskii.
Cintractia bulbostylidis occurs on Bulbostylis
barbata (Rottb.) C. B. Clarke in Australia and
has much smaller spores, 8–10 × 8–11 µm, with
a fi nely, irregularly reticulate spore surface (SEM
Figs 2–5. Cintractia majewskii M. Piątek & Vánky, sp. nov. 2 – Spores in LM. 3–5 – Basal part of the sori with mass of
sporogenous hyphae (in blue) and young spores in different developmental stages (in blue). Between developing spores fas-
cicles of sterile fungal cells can be seen (arrows) which are not coloured in blue, similarly to the mature spores (HOLOTYPE:
BR 121117-61). Scale bars = 20 µm.
4 POLISH BOTANICAL JOURNAL 50(1). 2005
in Vánky & Shivas 2001). Cintractia eleocharidis
infects Bulbostylis sp. in India (not Eleocharis
sp. as originally stated in the protologue, see
Vánky 2005). Its spores (Figs 12–13) are often
lacrimiform with an acute or subacute tip and
distinctly verrucose-echinulate with warts or
spines often connected by thin, low muri forming
a complete or incomplete, irregular reticulum as
seen by SEM. Ustanciosporium kuwanoanum
is known from various host genera, including
Figs 6–11. Spores of Cintractia majewskii M. Piątek & Vánky, sp. nov. in SEM (HOLOTYPE: BR 121117-61). Scale bars = 5 µm
(Figs 6–9) and 10 µm (Figs 10–11).
M. PIĄTEK & K. VÁNKY: CINTRACTIA MAJEWSKII SP. NOV. 5
Bulbostylis, Cyperus and Rikliella, and occurs
in East Asia and Africa. The ornamentation of
the spores of this species is somewhat similar to
that in C. majewskii (SEM in Vánky & Guo 1986)
but the spores are longer and arranged in spore-
balls. Pilocintractia fi mbristylidicola parasitizes
some species of Fimbristylis in India and Central
America, and has superfi cially similar spore orna-
mentation (SEM in Piepenbring 2000b and Vánky
2004), but differs from C. majewskii by the pres-
ence of hard sori without a powdery surface, and
by having gelatinized fungal fi laments between
the spores. These characters are unique amongst
smut fungi and differentiate the unispecifi c genus
Pilocintractia Vánky (Vánky 2004).
KEY TO THE SMUT FUNGI ON FIMBRISTYLIS
1. Spores in spore-balls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.
*
Spores single . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
2. Spore balls composed of spores only . . . . . . . 3
2.
*
Spore balls composed of spores with reticulum ap-
pearing as parenchymatous fungal cells separating
the spores; spore balls surrounded by a cortex of
sterile cells . . . . . . . Dermatosorus fi mbristylidis
3. Spore balls 20–50(–60) µm long, composed usually
of 2–16 spores; spores up to 16 µm long . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Moreaua mauritiana
3.
*
Spore balls 40–100 µm long, composed usually of
20–100 spores; spores up to 20(–24) µm long . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Moreaua fi mbristylidis
4. Spores apparently smooth to fi nely punctate or
verrucose-reticulate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4.
*
Spores evidently verrucose- or echinulate-reticu-
late . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
5. Spores 10.0–14.5 µm long, in SEM fi nely, irregularly
verrucose-reticulate; sori in the spikelets . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cintractia mitchellii
5.
*
Spores 12–17 µm long, in SEM fi nely punctate-
verruculose; sori around the bases of pedunculi or
sometimes in the spikelets . . . . . Cintractia axicola
6. Spores distinctly verrucose-reticulate . . . . . . . 7
6.
*
Spores distinctly echinulate-reticulate, 9.5–14.5 µm
long . . . . . . . . . Cintractia fi mbristylis-miliaceae
7. Spores 10.5–15.0(–16.0) µm long; sori powdery . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cintractia majewskii
7.
*
Spores 8–12 µm long; sori hard without a powdery
surface . . . . . . . . . . Pilocintractia fi mbristylidicola
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. We are grateful to Dr. Jolanta
Piątek (Kraków, Poland) for her drawings in Figure 1A,
to Dr. Krzysztof Pawłowski (Kraków, Poland) for
providing the Latin description, to Anna Łatkiewicz
(Kraków, Poland) for assistance with the SEM images,
to the Curator of BR for loan of a smut fungus specimen,
and to the anonymous reviewer for helpful comments
on the manuscript. SEM micrographs were taken in the
Laboratory of Field Emission Scanning Electron Micro-
scopy and Microanalysis at the Institute of Geological
Sciences of the Jagiellonian University, Kraków. This
study was supported by the Polish Ministry of Educa-
tion and Science for the years 2005–2008, grant no.
2 P04G 019 28.
Figs 12–13. Spores of Cintractia eleocharidis (Thirum. & Pavgi) Vánky on Bulbostylis sp., in LM and SEM (ISOTYPE: HUV
15510). Scale bars = 10 µm.
6 POLISH BOTANICAL JOURNAL 50(1). 2005
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Received 12 April 2005
