Hypocreales » Ophiocordycipitaceae » Ophiocordyceps

Ophiocordyceps crinalis

Ophiocordyceps crinalis (Ellis ex Lloyd) G.H. Sung, J.M. Sung, Hywel-Jones & Spatafora, Stud. Mycol. 57: 41 (2007)     

Index Fungorum number: IF 504243; Facesoffungi number: FoF 13968

Parasitic on Lepidopteran larva. Sexual morph: Stromata up to 7 mm in high, 1 mm wide, brown, cylindrical, with acute ends, numerous, unbranched, erected. Perithecia 300–350 × 250–310 (x̄ = 334 × 279, n = 5), brown, ovoid, superficial. Peridium 15–30 μm (x̄ = 24, n =20), composed of thick-walled, brown cells of textura angularis. Asci 120–190 × 4.5–7 (x̄ = 153 × 5.8, n = 20) μm, slightly fusiform, with thickened caps measuring 3.7–5 × 2–5.5 (x̄ = 4.3 × 2.8, n = 20) μm. Ascospores 90–130 × 1.5–2.7 (x̄ = 111 × 2.0, n = 20) μm, hyaline, cylindrical-fusiform, multiseptate, whole when mature. Asexual morph: Undetermined.

Material examined – China, Yunnan Province, Honghe County, Amushan natural reserve, on lepidopteran larva lying on leaf litter, 19 July 2017, Samantha C. Karunarathna, Y12 (HKAS 102447).

Notes – Cordyceps crinalis was initially regarded as C. sphingum by Ellis and Everhart (1892) until Lloyd (1920) concluded it as a valid species. Mains (1940, 1958) described this species as having caespitose, brownish-gray, filiform stromata, chestnut-brown, ovoid, superficial perithecia, fusoid asci and filiform, multiseptate ascospores. Sung et al. (2007b) transferred this species to Ophiocordyceps based on multigene phylogenetic analysis. The recently updated macro- and micro-morphological feature of O. crinalis was provided by Wang et al. (2014) based on a Chinese specimen, wherein its morphological characters are same as those described by Mains (1940, 1958). Our collection resembles O. crinalis in the stromatal form, perithecial arrangement, asci and ascospores morphologies as well as the association with lepidopteran larva. The phylogenetic analysis also reveals its close affinity to O. crinalis.

 

 

Ophiocordyceps crinalis (HKAS 102447). a Stromata arising from host. b, c Perithecia on stromata. d, e Vertical section of perithecia. f–h Asci. i, j Ascospores. Scale bar: b = 2000 μm, c = 200 μm, d, e = 100 μm, f–j = 50 μm.

 

Reference:

Wei DP, Gentekaki E, Wanasinghe DN, Tang SM, Hyde KD. Diversity, molecular dating and ancestral characters state reconstruction of entomopathogenic fungi. Mycosphere. 13(2): 281–351.

 

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