New records of hyphomycetous fungi from NorthWestern Himalayas, India

Abstract

ABSTRACT
Five –anamorphic fungi viz. Spadicoides bina –a new record for India, where as Cladosporium cucumerinum,
Cryptocoryneum rilstonii, Ellisembia leptospora and Nalanthamala madreeya as new records for the North -
Western Himalayas are described, illustrated and discussed with remarks based on morphological
characteristics.

Full text

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New records of hyphomycetous fungi from North-
Western Himalayas, India
Indu Bhushan Prasher, Manju and Sushma*
Department of Botany, Mycology and Plant Pathology Laboratory,
Panjab University, Chandigarh 160014, India
*Corresponding author: smunihal@gmail.com
| Received: 05 May 2016 | Accepted: 25 July 2016 |
ABSTRACT
Five –anamorphic fungi viz. Spadicoides bina –a new record for India, where as Cladosporium cucumerinum,
Cryptocoryneum rilstonii, Ellisembia leptospora and Nalanthamala madreeya as new records for the North -
Western Himalayas are described, illustrated and discussed with remarks based on morphological
characteristics.
Key Words: Anamorphic fungi, Himachal Pradesh, Taxonomy.
INTRODUCTION
The latitudinal variation coupled with marked
varied climatic conditions (from hot and sub-humid
tropical to warm and temperate) of Himachal
Pradesh favour luxuriant growth of fungi especially
the anamorphic fungi. A number of asexual fungi
have been recorded from this region (Adamčik et
al. 2015, Prasher & Verma 2012a, b, 2014, 2015a,
b, c, 2016; Prasher & Singh 2012, 2013, 2014a, b,
2015, Prasher & Sushma 2014). This paper is in
continuation of our previous reports on anamorphic
fungi.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The bark of different tree species were collected
from different localities of Himachal Pradesh in
ziplock plastic bags and taken to the laboratory.
The specimens were mounted in 4%KOH,
Lactophenol and Cotton blue 0.01% in lactophenol
(Kirk et al. 2008). The specimens were studied
microscopically under Matrix stereo trinocular
microscope (VL-Z60) and transmission microscope
(VRS-2f) for macroscopic and microscopic
characters. All the measurements were taken with
the help of Pro MED software. The specimens were
deposited in the herbarium of Botany Department,
Panjab University, Chandigarh, India (PAN).
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Spadicoides bina (Corda) Hughes, 1958, as
‘binum’, Can. J. Bot., 36: 806. Fig. 1(a-g)
Colonies hairy, blackish brown. Mycelium
immersed, composed of septate brown coloured
hyphae. Stroma none, Setae absent. Conidiophores
erect, light brown to brown, paler towards the apex,
2–3.5µm wide. Conidiogenous cells polytretic,
terminal and intercalary, determinate, brown.
Conidia solitary, oblong, occasionally ellipsoidal,
mid pale to dark brown, 1- septate, dark blackish
brown or black band at the septum, 7–10 × 3–5µm,
hilum unthickened.
Collection Examined: India, Himachal Pradesh,
Chamba, on dead and decaying twigs, 19 June
2014, Manju, PAN (34602).
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JNBR 5(2) 87 – 92 (2016)
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Remarks: Spadicoides Hughes is characterized by
macronematous, mononematous, single,
unbranched or branched conidiophores with
polytretic, terminal and intercalary conidiogenous
cells producing solitary, terminal and lateral,
obovoid to ellipsoid, euseptate conidia (Hughes
1958). Goh and Hyde (1996) reviewed and
accepted 21 species in the genus. Till to date 42
species of the genus are described (fide Index
fungorum last accessed on 31.05.2016). The genus
is represented in India by four species viz. S.
aggregata Subram. & Vittal (Subramanium and
Vittal 1974) from Narasapur (Andhra Pradesh), S.
atra (Corda) S. Hughes from Jog Falls (Karnataka),
S. verrucosa V. Rao & de Hoog (Rao and Hoog
1986) from Adilabad (Andhra Pradesh) and S.
cordanoides Goh & K.D. Hyde (Patil et al. 2015)
from Maharashtra. None of these species have been
recorded from North India or Himalayas so far.
Therefore, Spadicoides bina is being reported for
the first time from India (Bilgrami et al. 1991 and
Jamaluddin et al. 2004).
Cladosporium cucumerinum Ellis & Arthur, Bull.
Indiana Agric. Stat. 19: 9 (1889) Fig. 2 (a-d)
=Cladosporium cucumeris A.B. Frank, Z.
PflKrankh. 3: 31 (1893)
=Cladosporium scabies Cooke, Gard. Chron., Ser.
3, 34: 100 (1903)
=Macrosporium melophthorum (Prill. & Delacr.)
Rostr., Gartner-Tidende 24: 189 (1893)
=Scolicotrichum melophthorum Prill. & Delacr.,
Bull. Soc. mycol. Fr. 7(1): 219 (1891).
Colonies effuse, pale greyish olive, velvety.
Mycelium immersed. Setae and hyphopodia absent.
Conidiophores macronematous, septate, lower half
subhyaline and upper half is hyaline, up to 210 µm
long, 4.8–6.4 µm thick, pale olivaceous brown,
smooth. Conidia in chains, mostly aseptate,
cylindrical rounded at the ends, smooth, 10.7– 20.2
× 3.1– 5.2 µm, hilum thickened.
Collection Examined: India, Himachal Pradesh,
Hamirpur, on fallen leaves of Grewia optiva, 16
October 2014, Sushma, PAN (31502).
Remarks: Cladosporium was established by Link
in 1816 with C. herbarum as type species. In total
993 names have been assigned to Cladosporium s.
lat., including Heterosporium (854 in
Cladosporium and 139 in Heterosporium) [Bensch
et al. 2012]. The above described species matches
well with Cladosporium cucumerinum. Earlier it
was reported from Madhya Pradesh and Punjab
(Bilgrami et al. 1991 & Jamaluddin et al. 2004), so
this constitutes a new record for North-Western
Himalayas.
Cryptocoryneum rilstonii M.B. Ellis, Mycological
Papers 131: 2 (1972). Fig. 2 (e-g)
Sporodochia dark blackish brown to black.
Mycelium mostly immersed. Conidiophores
smooth, septate, unbranched, often obscured by the
pendent arms of the conidia, 2.87–4.62 µm wide.
Conidia solitary, cheiroid, with black cap cells
firmly united together and 6–9 pendulous arms,
each arm 7–9 septate, 16.45–34.10 µm long, 4.02–
5.75 µm thick.
Collection Examined: India, Himachal Pradesh,
Chamba, Dalhousie, on fallen twigs, 19 June 2014,
Sushma, PAN (31531).
Remarks: Cryptocoryneum was described by
Fuckel (1865) with type species C. fasciculatum.
This genus comprises of 9 species worldwide
(www.speciesfungorum.org, accessed 03.05.2016).
The above described species showing very much
similarities with Cryptocoryneum rilstonii M.B.
Ellis. Earlier this species was reported form Nilgiri,
Tamil Nadu (Bilgrami et al. 1991 & Jamaluddin et
al. 2004). Therefore, this is the first report from the
North-Western Himalayas.
Ellisembia leptospora (Sacc. & Roum.) W.P. Wu,
in Wu & Zhuang, Fungal Diversity Res. Ser. 15:
140 (2005) Fig. 3 (a-j)
= Helminthosporium leptosporum Sacc. &
Roum. [as 'Helmisporium'], in Roumeguère, Revue
mycol., Toulouse 2(8): 191 (1880)
= Imicles leptospora (Sacc. & Roum.) Shoemaker
& Hambl., Can. J. Bot. 79(5): 598 (2001)
= Sporidesmium leptosporum (Sacc. & Roum.) S.
Hughes, Can. J. Bot. 36: 808 (1958)
Colonies dark brown, hairy. Mycelium mostly
immersed. Conidiophores mid to dark brown, often
percurrent up to 70 µm in length and 4.10–6.31 µm
wide. Conidiogenous cell monoblastic, terminal
and intercalary. Conidia narrowly obclavate,
truncate or conico-truncate at the base, subhyaline
to pale straw coloured, often brown at the base,
pseudoseptate, 27.44–77.32 × 6.38–8.33 µm, 3.16–
4.54 µm wide at the base.
Collection Examined: India, Himachal Pradesh,
Kangra, on rachis of Cycas, 8 November 2013.
Sushma, PAN (31540).
Remarks: Subramanian (1992) established the
genus Ellisembia with type species E. coronata
(Fuckel) Subram. This genus is represented by 51
species worldwide (www.speciesfungorum.org,
accessed 03.05.2016). The above described species
matches well with the description of Ellisembia
leptospora (Sacc. & Roum.) W.P. Wu. Earlier this
species was reported on dead wood of
Dendrocalamus sp. from Mt. Abu, Rajasthan as
Sporidesmium leptosporum (Panwar & Chouhan
1976). Hence, the species is being first time
reported from North- Western Himalayas.

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Figure 1. Spadicoides bina. a) Hyphae. b) Basal part of the conidiophore. c–e)
Conidiophores- conidiogenous cells and conidia. f & g) Conidia. Bars a–g = 10µm.

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Figure 2. Cladosporium cucumerinum. a) colonies on natural substratum. b–d) Conidia.
conidiogenous cell attached to conidiophore. Cryptocoryneum rilstonii. e) Conidia with
conidiophore. f, g) Conidia. Nalanthamala madreeya. h) Sporodochia on natural substrate. i,
j) Conidiophores and conidia. k, l) Conidia. Bars a = 1 mm; b–g, i–l = 10 µm.

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Figure 3. Ellisembia leptospora. a) Colony on natural substrate. b–d) Developing conidia on
conidiophores. e, f) Conidiophores. g–j) Conidia. Bars b–j = 10 µm.
Nalanthamala madreeya Subramanian, J. Indian
bot. Soc. 35: 478 (1956). Fig. 2 (h-l)
Sporodochia somewhat button like, scattered,
separate, superficial, hemispherical to subglobose,
pale white in colour, composed of a conspicuous,
somewhat hemispherical, pseudoparenchymatous
tissue of variable size which is covered over by
conidiophores and conidia. Conidiophores arising
from the upper layers of the pseudoparenchymatous
tissue, of variable length, hyaline, septate. Conidia
produced in simple chains, hyaline, smooth, 1-
celled, 4.67–6.12 × 2.13–3.01 µm.
Collection examined: India, Himachal Pradesh,
Shimla, Tara Devi, on dead and decaying twigs of
angiospermic tree, 16 September 2015, Sushma,
PAN (31536).
Remarks: Nalanthamala was established by
Subramanian (1956) with N. madreeya as type
species. A total of 6 species have been accepted
worldwide in this genus
(www.speciesfungorum.org, accessed 03.05.2016).
The above described species matches well with the

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description of Nalanthamala madreeya
Subramanian. Earlier it has been reported from
Tamil Nadu and Poona (Maharashtra) (Bilgrami et
al. 1991 & Jamaluddin et al. 2004). Therefore, it is
a new record for North-Western Himalayas.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors are thankful to Ministry of
Environment and Forests, Government of India for
the financial assistance (vide letter no. 14/26/2008-
ERS/RE/ 06.06.2010), UGC (SAP, DRS III) and
Chairperson Department of Botany Panjab
University Chandigarh for providing infrastructural
and laboratory facilities.
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