Fungalpedia – Note 22 Melanocucurbitaria
Citation: Bhunjun et al. 2023 – Fungalpedia, genera described in 2018, Mycosphere (in press)
Melanocucurbitaria Wanas., Gafforov & K.D. Hyde
Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig. 1
Wanasinghe et al. (2018) introduced Melanocucurbitaria based on phylogenetic analyses of ITS, LSU, SSU and tef sequence data. Melanocucurbitaria clustered separately from other Melanommataceae genera, but, with poor statistical support. The genus has muriform ascospores similar to Gemmamyces, Muriformistrickeria, Pseudostrickeria and Praetumpfia. Melanocucurbitaria differs from the above-mentioned genera by the production of significantly larger ascomata and a thin peridium (Wanasinghe et al. 2018). Currently, the genus is monotypic with only the type species which was identified in Uzbekistan on branches of Acer pubescens. The asci and ascospores of the fungus resemble those of Cucurbitaria species. However, a clear distinction can be observed in the peridium, whereby Melanocucurbitaria uzbekistanica comprises a thin peridium, while Cucurbitaria species have a multilayered and thick peridium. Notably, these two genera are phylogenetically distant.
Type species: Melanocucurbitaria uzbekistanica Wanas., Gafforov & K.D. Hyde
Fig 1. Melanocucurbitaria uzbekistanica (TASM 6109, holotype) a, b. Ascomata on host substrate. c. Section of ascoma. d. Peridium. e. Pseudoparaphyses. f–h. Asci. i–k. Ascospores. Scale bars: a = 1 mm, b = 500 µm, c = 100 µm, d, f–h = 20 µm, e, i–k = 10 µm. Photo credits: Dhanushka N. Wanasinghe.
Reference
Wanasinghe, D.N., Phukhamsakda, C., Hyde, K.D. et al. Fungal diversity notes 709–839: taxonomic and phylogenetic contributions to fungal taxa with an emphasis on fungi on Rosaceae. Fungal Diversity 89, 1–236 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13225-018-0395-7
Entry by
Vedprakash G. Hurdeal, Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100, Thailand
(Edited by Chitrabhanu S. Bhunjun and Kevin D. Hyde)