Hypocreales » Ophiocordycipitaceae » Ophiocordyceps

Ophiocordyceps vespulae

Ophiocordyceps vespulae F.Y. Long, Y.P. Xiao & T.C. Wen, Phytotaxa 478 (1): 35 (2021)

Index Fungorum number: IF 556626; Facesofungi number: FoF 13970

Parasitic on wasp. Sexual morph: Stroma 105 mm in long, growing from thorax of wasp, light yellow, single, stipitate. Stipe 1 mm wide, cylindrical, flexuous. Fertile head 12.5 mm long, 1.6 mm wide, cylindrical and gradually attenuated toward the apex. Perithecia 550–960 × 200–240 (x̄ = 699 × 228, n = 10) μm, flask-shaped, obliquely immersed, ostiolate. Peridium 25–40 (x̄ = 32,
n = 20) μm, composed of hyaline cells of textura angularis. Asci 400–650 × 4.5–9 (x̄ = 517 × 6.3, n = 15) μm, filiform, eight-spored, with a thickened cap. Ascospores filiform, multiseptate, as long as asci, disarticulating into secondary ascospores when mature. Secondary ascospores 8.5–11 × 1.9–2.6 (x̄ = 10 × 2.2, n = 20) μm, hyaline, fusiform, aseptate, smooth-walled.

Material examined – China, Yunnan Province, Honghe County, Amushan natural reserve, on wasplying on leaf litter, 25 July 2017, Samantha C. Karunarathna, Y47 (HKAS 102449).

Notes – Based on a megablast search against GenBank nucleotide database, the closest hits using ITS sequence is Ophiocordyceps vespulae (GenBank: MN044857, Identities = 486/488 (99%), Gaps = 1/488 (0%)). Ophiocordyceps vespulae was introduced by Long et al. (2021) from a wasp host in Jilin Province, China. Our specimen is similar with O. vespulae in having yellow stroma, terminal cylindrical fertile part which, tapers toward the apex, narrow cylindrical asci, filiform multiseptate ascospores and fusiform secondary ascospores (Long et al. 2021). However, they were found on different wasp species. Phylogenetic analysis shows that our collection (Y47) clusters with the type specimen of O. vespulae. Thus, we considered our collection as a new host record of O. vespulae from Yunnan Province, China.

 

 

Ophiocordyceps vespulae (HKAS 102449). e Stroma raising from hosts. f Vesp. g Fertile parts. h Perithecia. i, j Asci. k Secondary ascospores. Scale bars: g = 2000 µm, h = 300 µm, i = 100 µm, j = 30 µm, k = 10 µm (i–k stained with Congo red solution).

 

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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