Hypocreales » Ophiocordycipitaceae » Ophiocordyceps

Ophiocordyceps thanathonensis

Ophiocordyceps thanathonensis Y.P. Xiao, T.C. Wen & K.D. Hyde, Phytotaxa 328(2): 120 (2017)

Index Fungorum number: IF552731; Facesoffungi number: FoF 02827

Etymology: The specific epithet refers to Thanathon in north Thailand, the collection location

Parasitic on ant (Hymenotera), collected from the underside of leaves litter. Sexual morph: Host 8–12 mm long, 4–6 mm wide, black ant without hyphae on the surface. Stromata 50–90 mm long, 0.5–3 mm diam, mostly single, stipitate, rarely double, arising from between the head and thorax of adult worker ants (Hymenotera), pale yellow to yellow. Stipe 40–90 mm long, 0.5–2 mm diam, clavate, with a fertile apex, becoming pale to yellow. Fertile head 0.8–1.3 mm wide, 2.5–3.2 mm diam, fusiform, yellow, upper surface roughened, lateral surface, ridged and furrowed. Ascomata 546–692 × 193–254 μm (x̄ = 619 × 224 µm, n = 30), immersed, oblique flask-shaped, thick-walled. Peridium 12–19 mm (x̄ = 16 µm, n = 60) wide. Asci 369–496 × 5–7 μm (x̄ = 432 × 6 µm, n = 60), 8-spored, hyaline, narrow cylindrical, with a thickened apex. Apical cap 5–6.6 × 5.5–7.5 μm (x̄ = 6 × 6.5 µm, n = 60) thick, with a small channel in the center. Ascospores 365–490 × 1–2 μm (x̄ = 428 × 1.5 µm, n = 60), easily breaking into part-spores, filiform. Secondary ascospores 5.1–6.4 × 1.6–2.0 μm (x̄ = 5.7 × 1.8 µm, n = 90) fusiform to cylindrical, truncated at both ends, mostly curved, rarely straight, hyaline, smooth. Asexual morph: Undetermined.

Material examined: THAILAND, Chiang Rai. On dead ant (Hymenotera), 18 July 2015, Yuan-Pin Xiao, (MFLU 16-2908, holotype); (MFLU 16-2909, MFLU 16-2910, MFLU 16-2911, paratypes).

 

 

 

Ophiocordyceps thanathonensis (MFLU 16-2908, holotype). a Habitat. b Ascostroma emerging from infected ants. c, d Overview of host. e Fertile head of ascostroma. f Vertical section of the stroma. g, h Ascomata. i Peridium. j–l Immature to mature asci. m Apical cap of asci. n Parts of ascospores. o–q Secondary ascospore. Scale Bars: d–f = 1000 µm, g = 500 µm, h = 200 µm, i–l = 100 µm, m = 10 µm, n = 20 µm, o–q = 5 µm.

 

Reference:

Xiao YP, Wen TC, Hongsanan S, Sun JZ, Hyde KD (2017) Introducing Ophiocordyceps thanathonensis, a new species of entomogenous fungi on ants, and a reference specimen for O. pseudolloydii. Phytotaxa 328 (2): 115–126.

 

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