Fungalpedia – Note 3005, Aquabispora
Aquabispora J. Yang, E.B.G. Jones & K.D. Hyde.
Citation when using this data: Jing Yang et al. 2023 – Fungalpedia.
Index Fungorum, Faceoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig 1.
Classification: Savoryellaceae, Savoryellales, Savoryellomycetidae, Sordariomycetes, Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi.
Saprobic on decaying submerged wood in freshwater habitats. Asexual morph: Undetermined. Sexual morph: Ascomata perithecial, superficial, subglobose to obpyriform, dark brown to black, setose, papillate. Ostiole periphysate. Setae lanceolate, dark brown, scattered over ascoma densely clustered around the ostiole, originating from surface cells of ascomata wall. Ascomatal wall coriaceous, 2-layered. Paraphyses abundant, persistent, septate. Asci unitunicate, broadly cylindrical to clavate, stipitate, straight or slightly curved, rounded or papillate at the apex, 2-spored, with a non-amyloid apical apparatus which has a central pore and retraction of plasmalemma. Ascospores uniseriate, cylindrical-ellipsoidal, hyaline when young, brown when mature, muriform, often surrounded by a mucilaginous sheath.
Notes: Aquabispora is similar to Boerlagiomyces in having superficial, setose ascomata and muriform ascospores with a mucilaginous sheath (Crane et al. 1998). However, Aquabispora has 2-spored asci while Boerlagiomyces produces 8-spored asci except for B. lacunosisporus with 2–4-spored asci. Boerlagiomyces velutinus, the generic type, differs from Aquabispora by ascomata growing under a subiculum, clavate, 8-spored asci lacking an apical apparatus, and cylindrical–fusoid to clavate ascospores. Among Boerlagiomyces species, molecular data is only available for a reference specimen of B. macrospora, which was attributed to Tubeufiaceae (Tubeufiales, Dothideomycetes) (Doilom et al. 2017). Based on an LSU phylogeny, a non-type strain Boerlagiomyces websteri (BCC 3834) clustered in Rhytismataceae (Leotiomycetes) which was unreliable and lacked a morphological description (Kodsueb et al. 2006a; Boonmee et al. 2014). In our phylogenetic analysis (Jing Yang et al. 2023), Aquabispora setosa nested within Savoryellaceae (Savoryellales, Sordariomycetes) as a sister taxon to Aquabispora sp. (MFLU 18-1002), which was initially identified as Boerlagiomyces websteri (unpublished). In this study, we introduce a new genus Aquabispora to accommodate Boerlagiomyces websteri, B. grandisporus and a new species based on the morphology and molecular DNA data.
Type species: Aquabispora setosa J. Yang, E.B.G. Jones & K.D. Hyde.
Other accepted species: Species Fungorum – search Aquabispora.
Figure 1 – Aquabispora setosa (HKAS 124629, holotype) a, b Ascomata on wood. c Section of an ascoma. d, e Section of peridium. f Surface view of peridium. g Seta. h, i Paraphyses. j–o Asci. p–s Ascospores. t Ascospore in Indian ink. u Apical part of an ascus. v Basal part of an ascus. w Germinated ascospore. x, y Culture, x from above, y from below. Scale bars: c, j, l–o = 100 μm, g, k, p–u, w = 50 μm, e, f, h, i, v = 30 μm, d = 20 μm.
References
Kodsueb R, Jeewon R, Vijaykrishna D, Mckenzie EHC et al. 2006a – Systematic revision of Tubeufiaceae based on morphological and molecular data. Fungal Divers 21:105–130.
Entry by
Jing Yang, School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Informational Biology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, People’s Republic of China, School of Science, Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand, Guizhou Key Laboratory of Agricultural Biotechnology, Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guiyang 550006, People’s Republic of China.
Published online 26 August 2026