Orbiocrella petchii
Orbiocrella petchii (Hywel-Jones) D. Johnson, G.H. Sung, Hywel-Jones & Spatafora, Mycol. Res. 113(3): 287 (2009)
Index Fungorum number: IF 512032; Facesoffungi number: FoF 13950
Parasitic on scale insects. Sexual morph: Stromata 3.5–5.5 (x̄ = 4.3, n = 10) mm, entirely covering the insect hosts, ochraceous, sessile, scattered, rink-like. Stromal hyphae are coarse and filled with abundant yellow guttules. Perithecia 330–425 × 75–120 (x̄ = 384 × 85, n = 5) μm, flask-shaped, superficial, ostiolate, not confluent. Peridium 25–130 (x̄ = 139, n = 10) μm, composed of thick-walled cells of textura angularis. Asci 160–300 × 5–7 (x̄ = 236 × 6, n = 10) μm, cylindrical, with thickened apical cap (6–7 × 3–3.5, x̄ = 6.5 × 3.4, n = 10 μm). Ascospores 200–250 × 1–2 (x̄ = 222 × 1.6, n = 10) μm, hyaline, filiform, aseptate, not disarticulate into secondary ascospores. Asexual morph: Undetermined.
Material examined – Thailand, Chiang Rai Province, Wiang Chai District, Ban Don Mun, on scale insects attached to bamboo leaves, 10 April 2018, De-Ping Wei, BD18041001 (MFLU 22-0260).
Molecular data – LSU (OQ127374), SSU (OQ127303), ITS (OQ127339), TEF (OQ186366), RPB1 (OQ186420), RPB2 (OQ186396).
Notes – Orbiocrella petchii initially was recognized as a member of Torrubiella based on the sessile stroma (Hywel-Jones 1997). Phylogenetic analysis rejected the monophyly of torrubielloid fungi thus Orbiocrella was established to accommodate the single species O. petchii, which is specific to bamboo scale insects (Johnson et al. 2009). The detailed asexual and sexual morphs of O. petchii have been provided by Hywel-Jones (1997). Our collection morphologically resembles O. petchii in ochraceous, ring-like, reduced stromata, long-cylindrical asci and hyaline, filiform, non-disarticulating ascospores. In the multigene phylogenetic analyses, our collection groups with O. petchii (NHJ 6209) with significant support. A comparison of ITS nucleotide sequences showed that our collection (MFLU 22-0260) differed from the reference stain O. petchii (NHJ 6209) in 2/365 bp (0.5%). Based on the morphological observation and molecular analysis, we determine our collection as O. petchii.
Orbiocrella petchii (MFLU 22-0260) a, c Stromata on the surface of bamboo leaf. b Vertical section through stroma. d Perithecium. e Peridium. f, g Asci. h, i Ascospores. Scale bars: b, c = 1000 μm, d = 200 μm, e–i = 50 μm.
Reference:
Wei DP, Gentekaki E, Wanasinghe DN, Karunarathna SC, Tang SM, Hyde KD 2022 – Diversity, molecular dating and ancestral characters state reconstruction of entomopathogenic fungi in Hypocreales. Mycosphere 13: 281–351.
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