Fungalpedia – Note 474, Alfaria 

 

Alfaria Crous, Montaño-Mata & García-Jim.

Citation when using this data: Tibpromma et al. 2024 (in prep.) – Fungalpedia, Fungal pathogens.

Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig. 1 

Classification: Incertae sedis, Hypocreales, Hypocreomycetidae, Sordariomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi.

Alfaria was first recorded by Crous et al. (2014) as a plant pathogenic fungus associated with leaf tip dieback and tuber rot with Alfaria cyperi-esculenti as the type species based on both morphological and molecular studies (ITS and LSU). Both sexual and asexual morphs are recorded and have been reported as saprobic and pathogenic fungi on several hosts (Crous et al. 2014, Lombard et al. 2016, Jayawardena et al. 2018). Alfaria is characterized by globose ascomata, black, immersed; unitunicate asci, fasciculate, subcylindrical with obtuse apices with 2–8 ascospores; fusoid-ellipsoid ascospores, hyaline, 0–3-septate while, asexual morph comprises solitary or sporodochial, verticillately or penicillately branched, hyaline conidiophores, phialidic conidiogenous cells and cylindrical to ellipsoidal conidia with hyaline to lightly pigmented and without septate (Crous et al. 2014). To date, 18 species of this genus have been identified.

Type species: Alfaria cyperi-esculenti Crous, Montaño-Mata & García-Jim.

Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Alfaria

 

Figure 1 – Alfaria cyperi-esculenti a Appearance of ascomata on host surface. b Ascoma. c Asci. d Ascospores. Scale bars: a = 250 μm, c = 10 μm. Redrawn from Crous et al. (2014).

 

References

Crous PW, Shivas RG, Quaedvlieg W, van der Bank M. et al. 2014 – Fungal Planet description sheets: 214–280. Persoonia 32(1), 184–306. 

Jayawardena RS, Hyde KD, Chethana KW, Daranagama DA. et al. 2018 – Mycosphere Notes 102-168: Saprotrophic fungi on Vitis in China, Italy, Russia and Thailand. Mycosphere 9(1), 1–114.

Lombard L, Houbraken J, Decock C, Samson RA. et al. 2016 – Generic hyper-diversity in Stachybotriaceae. Persoonia 36(1), 156–246.

 

Entry by

Priyashantha AKH, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand 

 

(Edited by Saowaluck Tibpromma, Samaneh Chaharmiri-Dokhaharani, & Achala R. Rathnayaka)

 

Published online 3 December 2024

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