Endophoma, a new didymellaceous endoconidial genus from bat-cave soil

Abstract

A new endoconidial taxon, Endophoma elongata gen. et sp. nov., isolated from bat-cave soil, is reported from Alberta, Canada. It is morphologically unique in producing two forms of unilocular, endoconidial conidiomata (i.e. a superficially Phoma-like spherical, often ostiolate form and a cylindrical, non-ostiolate, often setose cleistopycnidial form). Locules of both forms are pseudoparenchymatous, filled with hyaline, thin-walled, endoconidial conidiogenous cells. Endoconidia are hyaline and unicellular. One- or two-celled chlamydospores are abundant in culture. Phylogenetic analysis of the LSU, ITS and β-tubulin regions indicates Endophoma is a member of the Didymellaceae and remote from all other endoconidial genera. Endoconidiogenesis has not been reported previously within the Didymellaceae, and Endophoma represents the first report of a coelomycetous, endoconidial genus in the Pleosporales.

• cleistopycnidia
• Coelomycetes
• Didymellaceae
• endoconidia
• Phoma
• Pleosporales
• troglodytic fungi

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank Y. Currah for kindly providing the Latin description.

This work was supported by a Discovery Grant to RSC from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.