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MYCOTAXON
ISSN (print) 0093-4666 (online) 2154-8889 Mycotaxon, Ltd. ©2018
January–March 2018—Volume 133, pp. 9–13
https://doi.org/10.5248/133.9
Arachnophora longa sp. nov., a freshwater hyphomycete
from far north Queensland, Australia
S C. F* K D. H
1 College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University,
GPO Box 2100, Adelaide 5001, Australia
2 Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University,
Chiang Rai 57100, ailand
* C : sally.fryar@inders.edu.au
A—Arachnophora longa, collected from submerged wood in far north Queensland,
Australia, is described and illustrated as a new species. It is distinguished from other members
of the genus by possessing macroconidia with long appendages (“arms”).
K —anamorphic fungi, biodiversity, dematiaceous hyphomycete, lignicolous fungi,
taxonomy
Introduction
During a survey of freshwater fungi on wood in streams in far north
Queensland, a distinctive fungus was collected on submerged wood. e
conidiogenesis and morphology of the conidia place this fungus in the genus
Arachnophora Hennebert (Hennebert 1963). However, the fungus shows clear
dierences from previously described Arachnophora species and is therefore
described as new to science.
Materials & methods
Samples of submerged wood less than 5 cm in diameter were collected from
Oliver Creek, north Queensland, placed into sealed plastic bags, and returned to the
laboratory. e collection site had a rocky base with shallow, running water and thick
native riparian vegetation. Samples were then incubated in sterile plastic containers
and regularly examined for fungi using a Leica MZ7s dissecting microscope. When
noted, fungi were photographed, described, and transferred to a microscope slide with
10 ... Fryar & Hyde
F. 1. Arachnophora longa (holotype, BRI AQ522463). A: Colonies on natural substrate while
fresh. B: Colonies on natural substrate aer drying. C: Conidiophores. D–F: Macroconidia with
microconidial synanamorph. Scale bars: A, B = 200 µm; C–F = 10 µm.
a drop of distilled water and cover slip. is slide was examined using either a Leica
DMLS compound microscope with phase contrast or a Nikon Eclipse Ni with dierence
interference contrast. Photographs were taken using either a Sony RX-100 or Lumenera
Innity 3 camera. Drawings were made with the assistance of a Nikon Y-IDT drawing
tube at 100×.
Taxonomy
Arachnophora longa Fryar & K.D. Hyde, sp. nov. F 1, 2
MB MB
Diers from Arachnophora combuensis by its longer macroconidial arms and its slightly
larger microconidia; and from A. polyradiata by its fewer but longer macroconidial
arms.
T: Australia, Queensland, Cape Tribulation, Oliver Creek, 16.137°S 145.440°E,
on submerged wood, 7 Oct 2015, collector S. Fryar (Holotype, BRI AQ522463).
E: Latin longa, referring to the relatively long macroconidial arms.
Arachnophora longa sp. nov. (Australia) ... 11
F. 2. Arachnophora longa (holotype, BRI AQ522463).
Conidiophores, macroconidia, and microconidia. Scale bars =10 µm.
C macronematous, mononematous, brown, erect, unbranched,
cylindrical, smooth, 1–4-septate, no constrictions at the septa, with percurrent
proliferation, slightly bulbous at the base, single, 46–102 × 5–7.5 µm.
C monoblastic, integrated, terminal, cylindrical, smooth,
pale brown to hyaline. M staurosporous, acrogenous, solitary,
brown, dry, smooth, complex, composed of [i] a basal cell that is obconical,
truncate, pale brown, and with a minute basal frill as a result of rhexolytic
dehiscence and [ii] an irregular two-celled central body of 17–23 × 11–19 µm;
each central cell giving rise to 1–3 brown to pale brown lateral cells, 6–9 × 5–9
µm, each in turn giving rise to a single fertile, tapering, hyaline arm, 16–43 ×
2–3 µm, usually aseptate (occasionally 1-septate), 3-5 arms per macroconidium.
S: the apical cell of each macroconidial arm producing hyaline,
aseptate, 5–10 × 1 µm, fusiform to clavate microconidia with minute denticles
at their tip.
C – Arachnophora was established by Hennebert (1963) for the type
species, A. fagicola, growing on decaying cupules of Fagus sylvatica. Currently,
there are ten species recognized in the genus. Of these species, A. longa most
12 ... Fryar & Hyde
resembles A. polyradiata, which diers by its longer (≤150 µm) conidiophores
and more numerous (5-7) and shorter (15-20 µm) macroconidial arms (Mercado
Sierra & Castañeda Ruíz 1984, Castañeda Ruíz & al. 1997). ree species—
A. fagicola, A. pulneyensis, A. uberisporoides—do not produce a synanamorph
(Hennebert 1963, Subramanian & Bhat 1987, Castañeda Ruiz & al. 1997) and
are therefore distinct from A. longa. Macroconidia of A. combuensis, A. crassa,
A. dinghuensis, A. goanensis, A. hughesii, and A. polybrachiata have fewer and
shorter arms than A. longa, among other distinguishing characters (Révay
& Gönczöl 1989, Castañeda Ruiz & Guarro 1999, Pratibha & al. 2011, Leão-
Ferreira & al. 2013, Ma & al. 2014, Monteiro & al. 2014).
Arachnophora species are usually found on decaying leaves, wood, bark, or
pods on forest oors (e.g., Kirk 1981, Matsushima 1993, Castañeda Ruiz & al.
1997, Pratibha & al. 2011, Ma & al. 2014). However, there have previously been
reports of this genus on submerged wood in freshwater habitats (Tsui & al.
2000, Monteiro & al. 2014).
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the Queensland Government for allowing us to collect
samples. We also thank Dr Eric McKenzie and Dr Jian Ma for serving as presubmission
reviewers and for providing helpful comments and suggestions.
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