Notes and brief articles

PARAAORIA HIMALA YANA GEN. ET SP.NOV., A FOLIICOLOUSCOELOMYCETE ON CITRUS FROM NEPAL

BY R. K. VERMA AND KAMAL

Department of Botany, Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur-273009, U.P. India

A tar spot fungus, Paraaoria himalayana gen. et sp.nov. (Coelomycetes) is described,illustrated and compared with related genera. It occurs on living leaves of Citrus sp. causinghypertrophy of tissues, and was collected from the Kathmandu valley, Nepal.

During a routine survey of parasitic fungi fromforests of the Kathmandu valley, Nepal, a foli-icolous coelomycete producing characteristic tarspot symptoms on the adaxial leaf surfaces of aCitrus sp. was collected. Besides tar spot symptomsthe fungus also causes hypertrophy of the leaf.Affected parts were four to five times thicker thannormal ones. The hypertrophied spongy paren-chyma was characterized by the deposition of awhitish substance.

Fig. 1. Paraaoria himalayana, habit.

Examination and comparison of the features ofthe fungus with similar ones already publishedshowed it to be undescribed.

Paraaoria Verma & Kamal gen.nov,Etym, para (L.) beside et Aoria

Maculae epiphyllae, nigrae, fere circulares, contiguonisfolii crassae. Myceliumimmersum,ramosum,septatum,hyalinumvel atrobrunneum. Conidiomata eustromatica,scutiformia, subcuticularia,nigra, unilocularia vel mul-tilocularia (textura angulari); parietes inferiori atro-brunnei vel nigri ex hyphis crassi tunicati ex texturaangulari compositi. Ostioli absentia; dehiscens irregu-laris. Conidiophora pallide brunnea, septata, recta, nonramosa vel basim versus ramosa. Cellulaeconidiogenaeindeterminatae, in conidiophoris incorporatae, filiformes,hyalinae, laeves, cum 1-4 proliferationibus percurrenti-bus enteroblasticis. Conidia holoblastica, pallide brun-nea, non septata, verruculosa, recta, apicem obtusa,ellipsoidea, guttulata.

Species typica: Paraaoria himalayana Verma& Kamal

Tar spot lesions epiphyllous, circular, black,affected area of leaf becoming thicker. Myceliumimmersed, branched, septate, either hyaline or darkbrown. Conidiomata eustromatic, shield-shaped,subcuticular, black, multilocular, sometimes uni-locular, upper wall consisting of dark brown toblack dead tissue (possibly textura angularis), lowerwall composed of very dark brown to black thick-walled textura angularis. Ostioleabsent, dehiscenceby irregular fissures or breakdown of the upperwall. Conidiophores pale brown, septate, straight,branched at the base or unbranched, formed from

200 11 m

Fig. 2. Paraaoria himalayana, v.s. leaf through conidioma.

Trans. Br. mycol. Soc. 87 (4) (1986) Printed in Great Britain

Trans. Br. mycol. Soc. 87 (4) (1986)

Notes and brief articles

the upper cells of the lower wall. Conidiogenouscells indeterminate, integrated, filiform, hyaline,smooth, with 1-4 percurrent enteroblastic pro-liferations, collarettes flared, periclinal thicken-ing and channel present. Conidia holoblastic, palebrown, aseptate, verruculose, straight, apex ob-tuse , base truncate with a marginal frill, guttulate.

Paraaoria himalayana sp.nov. (F igs 1-3)

Maculae epiphyllae, nigrae, rnicantia, fere circulares,dispersae vel aggregatae, lesiones usque 1-3 rom diam.Mycelium immersum ex hyphis ramosis, septatis, hya-linis vel atro-brunneis formatum, Conidiomata eustro-matica, scutifonnia, subcuticularia, nigra, uniloculariavel multilocularia, t -o-r-s rom diam , ex textura angularisatro-brunnea vel nigra cornposita, 1<r-30/lm crassa,parietes inferiori atro-brunnei vel nigri, 1<r-20/lm crassi.Ostiolurn absens, dehiscens irregularis. Conidiophorapallide brunnea, septata, recta, non ramosa vel basimversus ramosa, laevia, 36 /lm longa et 2'5/lm crassa .Cellulae conidiogenae indetenninatae, in conidiophorisincorporatae, filiformes, hyalinae, laeves, cum 1-4proliferationibus enteroblasticis percurrentibus, usque12-20 x 2-3 /lm. Conidia holoblastica, pallide brunnea,non septata, verruculosa, recta, ap ice obtusa, basimtruncata, ellipsoidea, biguttulata, 4'<r-7'5 x 2'<r-3'O/lm.

In foliis vivis Cirri sp., Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, Oct,1984, R . K . Verma, IMI 294092 holotypus, GPU, KK24, isotypus.

Infection epiphyllous, producing circular, shin-ing black tar spots either dispersed or aggregated;the affected areas of the leaf become very thick (4- 5times more than the healthy regions) ; lesions1-3 mm diam. Mycelium immersed, branched,septate, hyaline or dark brown. Conidiomatashield-shaped, subcuticular, black, unilocular ordivided by vertical columns of tissue, 1'0-1 ·8 mmdiam, about 180/lm deep; upper wall 10-30 J.lmthick, consisting of dead dark brown to black tissue(probably textura angularis); lower wall 10-20 pmthick, epidermal, composed of dark brown to black,thick-walled textura angularis. Ostiole absent,dehiscence by irregular fissure or breakdown of theupper wall. Conidiophores pale brown, septate,straight, branched at the base or unbranched, up to

36 pm long x 2-5 pm wide, formed from theupper cells of the lower wall. Conidiogenous cellsindeterminate, integrated, filiform, hyaline,smooth, 12-20 x 2-3 J.lm, with 1-4 percurrententeroblastic proliferations; collarettes flared, peri-elinal thickening and channel present. Conidiaholoblastic, pale brown, aseptate, verruculose,straight, base truncate with a marginal frill,

Fig . 3, Paraaoria himalayana . A portion of conidiomatain v.s. showing detailed structure of conidiophores,conidia and host-pathogen relationships.

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Notes and brief articles

straight, apex obtuse, ellipsoid, biguttulate,4'0-7'5 x 2'0-3 '0 pm.

Among typical tar spot genera placed in theBlastostromatineae by Sutton (1980), Paraaoriahimalayana is quite different. The shield-shapedconidiomata in vertical section have an outlooksimilar to the subcuticular stromata of CrandalliaEll. & Sacc., Leptothyrina Hohn., Leptostroma Fr.and the sub-epidermal stromata of Aoria Ciferri(Sutton, 1980) but they differ in features of theconidiophores and conidia. These genera belong tothe Blastostromatineae with sympodial conidio-genous cells, while Paraaoria has percurrentlyproliferating conidiogenous cells. The eustromaticconidiomata of Gaubaea Petrak (Sutton, 1980) arealso superficially similar to Paraaoria but differ in

that the conidiophores are absent and conidia areeguttulate without any basal frill .

The authors are thankful to Dr B. C. Sutton forhis valuable suggestions and for very kindlypreparing the illustrations. Their sincere thanksare also due to Professor S. N . Mathur, Head,Department of Botany, Gorakhpur University,Gorakhpur for providing necessary facilities andCSIR, New Delhi, for providing financial assis-tance to one of them (R.K.V.).

REFERENCE

SUTTON, B. C. (1980). The Coelomyceres.CommonwealthMycological Institute, Kew, Surrey, England.

FUNGAL ENDOPHYTES IN SALICORNIA PERENNIS

BY 0 . PETRINI

Geobotanisches Institut, ETH-Zentrum, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland

AND P. J. FISHER

Department of Biological Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, U.K.

Thirty-two species of endophytic fungi were isolated from the stems of Salicornia perennis .Significant differences were found between colonization of old and new plant tissues. Pleosporasalicorniae was found to colonize most parts of the plants whereas Pleospora bjorlingii wasmostly confined to old plant tissue. Two species of Stagonospora were largely confined to newplant tissue. A multiple regression model revealed that P. salicorniae, two species ofStagonospora and to a lesser extent Diplodina salicorniae mainly account for the colonizationof new tissues. The results are discussed in relation to the ecology of the host and thecolonizing fungi .

Fungal endophytes have been isolated from a wide .range of evergreen and deciduous plants (Carroll,Muller & Sutton, 1977; Petrini, Muller &Luginbuhl, 1979; Petrini & Dreyfuss, 1981;Fisher, Anson & Petrini, 1986; Petrini, 1986). Nomember of the Chenopodiaceae has so far beeninvestigated for fungal endophytes. We now reporton endophytes of Salicornia perennis L., whichgrows in tussocks in intertidal salt marshes on thesouth and east coast of England where, for most ofthe year, the plants are washed twice daily by thesea. Fungi were isolated from healthy stemscollected in April 1985 from plants growing in theintertidal zone at Dawlish Warren, Devon, gridreference SX 989 791.

Isolations were made from 60 plants, taken fromtwo groups of ten roughly circular tussocks of30-140 em diam. The first group was situated onthe lower, the second one on the upper shore.Three plants were taken from each tussock. Fromeach plant 6 pieces of about 1 em length were taken

from old growth (growth measured up to 3 em fromthe base of the plant) and 6 to 11 pieces of thesame length were collected from new growth (loca-tions on the stem above the old growth zone). Thepoint of distinction between old and new plant tis-sue was an arbitrary choice and does not imply anymorphological or anatomical distinction.

All plant material was taken to the laboratory inpolyethylene bags and processed within 24 h.Surface sterilization was by the method describedby Fisher, Anson & Petrini (1986). Individual plantfragments were then placed on separate 60 mmPetri dishes containing 2 % malt extract agar(Oxoid malt extract L39, 20 g 1-\; agar, 20 g 1-\)(MEA) supplemented with 250 mg 1-\ oxytetracy-cline hydrochloride (Terramycin" , Pfizer). Afterincubation at room temperature for up to 10 days,depending on the growth rates of the fungi,isolation to 2 % MEA without antibiotic wascarried out by transfer of conidia, where present,or mycelial fragments. Most of the isolates fruited

Trans. Br. mycol. Soc. 87 (4) (1986) Primed in Great Britain