Fungalpedia – Note 171, Parablastocatena
Parablastocatena Y.D. Zhang & X.G. Zhang
Citation when using this entry: Madagammana et al. 2024 (in prep) – Fungalpedia, genera described in 2012.
Index Fungorum, Facesoffungi, MycoBank, GenBank, Fig 1.
Classification: Pezizomycotina, Ascomycota, Fungi
Parablastocatena was introduced by Zhang et al. (2012), based on morphology with P. tetracerae as the type species. This genus has effuse, hairy, brown to black colonies on the natural substrate, partly superficial mycelium immersed in the substratum, and synnematous, dark brown to black, determinate, and scattered conidiomata. The conidiophores are macronematous, unbranched, smooth, septate, brown to dark brown, and diverging laterally and terminally. The conidiogenous cells are holoblastic, terminal, integrated, cuneate, and curved with schizoanalytic conidial secession, while the conidia are holoblastic, acrogenous, develop in short acropetal chains or solitary, and euseptate. Parablastocatena shares morphological similarities with other genera, such as Lylea, Neosporidemium, Novozymia, Podosporium, Sporidesmina, and Sporidesmiopsis (Zhang et al. 2012). The genus differs from Lylea due to its macronematous conidiophores that form distinct synnemata and conidia arranged in unbranched chains. Also, Podosporium is characterized by monotretic conidiogenous cells, Neosporidemium produces conidia in acropetal chains, and Novozymia members have conidiogenous cells with annellidic percurrent proliferation allowing these genera to be distinguished from Parablastocatena (Zhang et al. 2012). The phylogenetic placement of the genus is still unresolved. Therefore, this genus is listed under Ascomycota genera incertae sedis (Wijayawardene et al. 2022). Currently, only one species is listed in Index Fungorum (2023), which was reported on dead Licuala fordiana branches in China (Zhang et al. 2012).
Type species: Parablastocatena tetracerae Y.D. Zhang & X.G. Zhang
Figure 1 – Parablastocatena tetracerae (HSAUP H3357, holotype). a-c Conidiophores with conidia. d-f Conidia. Scale bars: a = 50 μm; b-f = 20 μm. Redrawn from Zhang et al. (2012).
References
Entry by
Ashani D. Madagammana, Center of Excellence in Fungal Research, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100, Thailand; School of Science, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, 57100, Thailand.
(Edited by Chitrabhanu S. Bhunjun, Subodini N. Wijesinghe, Samaneh Chaharmiri-Dokhaharani, & Achala R. Rathnayaka)