Acta Horti Bot. Bucurest. 2013, 40: 57-64 DOI: 10.2478/ahbb-2013-0007 ASCOMYCOTA MACROFUNGI NEW TO ROMANIA RADU Mihai-Iulian1 Abstract: The paper gives a new contribution to the knowledge of Ascomycota macrofungi from Romania. The paper presents three Ascomycota species, Peziza phyllogena Cooke, Scutellinia superba (Velen.) Le Gal and Peroneutypa scoparia (Schwein.) Carmarán & A.I. Romero, reported for the first time in Romania. The species were uncovered and identified during a larger research regarding the diversity and distribution of macrofungi in the areas near Bucharest, Romania. Macro- and micro morphological descriptions, comments and illustrations of the species are presented. Key words: Ascomycota, Bucharest, macrofungi, Peroneutypa scoparia, Peziza phyllogena, Romania, Scutellinia superba, taxonomy Received 15 October 2013 Revision accepted 26 November 2013 Introduction All three presented species are known to have European distribution, but have not been recorded from Romania until now. Peziza phyllogena, initially described as characteristic to the North American continent, it was synonymised with European species P. badioconfusa by Donald Pfister in 1987 through herbaria studies (Pfister 1987). The European species was described by Richard P. Korf in 1954 (Korf 1954). Scutellinia superba, first described by Josef Velenovský (as Lachnea), in his Monographia Discomycetum Bohemiae (Velenovský 1934), was subsequently renamed by Marcelle Louise Fernande Le Gal in 1964, as a member of the Scutellinia group (Le Gal 1964). Peroneutypa scoparia was described by the American mycologist Lewis David von Schweinitz in Schriften der Berlinische Gesellschaft Naturforschender Freunde published in Leipzig , as Sphaeria scoparia (Schweinitz 1822). The species has been since included in several other groups such as Eutypa (Tiffany & Gilman 1965, Saccardo 1882), Eutypella (Ellis & Everhart 1892), Engizostoma (Kuntze 1898), Peroneutypella (Berlese 1902) and Valsa (Curtis 1867, Saccardo 1873) either by the specific epithet scoparia or the known synonym heteracantha. The genus Peroneutypa name was first given by Augusto Napoleone Berlese for the synonym Peroneutypa heteracantha in 1902, and was resurrected and proposed as a valid combination in 2006 1 University of Bucharest, Faculty of Biology, 1-3, Intr. Portocalelor, Sector 6, 060101 - Bucureşti, Romania, e-mail: [email protected] 58 Radu Mihai-Iulian by Cecilia Carmarán & Andrea Romero based on morphological studies on holotype material (Carmarán et al. 2006). Material and methods The mycological material was gathered during field visits in the years 2009 and 2011. Identification was made using both written (Berlese 1902, Velenovský 1934, Donadini 1981, Schumacher 1990, Philips 2006, Vasilyeva & Stephenson 2006, Carmarán et al. 2006) and online references (Kuo 2007, Gianpiero 2003, Philips 2001- 2013). Also in situ photographs have been taken using a Canon S3 IS camera. The material collected was brought to analysis in the laboratory. The examinations included macroscopic as well as microscopic aspects. The macroscopic consisted in the analysis of the colour of the stem, consistency and morphology. The microscopic features that were observed are referring to the morphology of the asci and spores. The microscopic observations were achieved using the methods of staining with Melzer reagent and lactophenol cotton blue. The scientific names and synonyms have been updated according to the Index Fungorum Database 2013 – Kirk (2013). Results and discussion The three species new to Romania belong to the families Pezizaceae, Pyronemataceae (both belonging to order Pezizales, subclass Pezizomycetidae, class Pezizomycetes) and Diatrypaceae (order Xylariales, sublass Xylariomycetidae, class Sordariomycetes). All three fungal families are well known in Romania. PEZIZACEAE Current name: Peziza phyllogena Cooke, Mycogr., Vol. 1. Discom. (London): 148, fig. 251 (1877) Macroscopic features (Plate I, Fig. 1, Fig. 2): Cupulis: Cup-shaped apothecia when young, they become flattened with age, 3-15 cm diameter, irregularly shaped on the edges, when growing in clusters the edges become wavy and contorted, the outer surface finely grainy, hardened, with reddish-orangish fibres, more on the margin; attached to substrate with central area; Himenium smooth, brown to reddish-purplish brown or olive brown, flesh brittle, somewhat brownish; Stipes absent. Microscopic features (Plate I, Fig. 3): Spores: elliptical, minutely warted, sometimes with smooth apical caps 14-21 x 6.5-10.5 µm; Asci: 8-spored, 285 x 15 µm. Paraphyses: cylindrical, with rounded 4-5 µm slim tips that stain blue in Melzer reagent. Habitat: Saprophytic, lignicolous, found in hardwoods and conifer forests; grows on decaying wood, sometimes appears to grow on soil, but always connected to buried wood; usually found in late spring and summer. Synonymy: Aleuria elaeocarpa Boud. [as 'eleocarpa'], Hist. Class. Discom. Eur. (Paris): 45 (1907) Aleuria olivacea Boud., Bull. Soc. mycol. Fr. 13(1): 14 (1897) Galactinia badioconfusa (Korf) Svrček & Kubička, Česká Mykol. 17: 68 (1963) Galactinia olivacea Boud., Icon. Mycol. (Paris): tab. 282 (1907) Peziza badioconfusa Korf, Mycologia 46(6): 838 (1954) Ascomycota macrofungi new to Romania 59 Peziza olivacea Sacc. & P. Syd., Syll. fung. (Abellini) 14(2): 745 (1899) Plicaria olivacea (Boud.) Keissl., Annln naturh. Mus. Wien 35: 12 (1922) Chorology: In Europe it was recorded from Sweden, Germany, Spain, Norway, Austria, United Kingdom, Slovenia and Iceland (Anonymous 2013). Somewhat recently, the species was also uncovered in neighbouring countries such as Hungary (Tóth 2003) and Bulgaria (Dimitrova & Gyosheva 2009). Specimens examined: ● ad trunco amputatus deciduous – Ilfov District: Ileana Forest, in Carpino-Quercetum, 44.45721°N, 25.90458°E, alt. 105 m, 09.V.2009; Leg. et det. Radu Mihai-Iulian. Vaucher specimen: BUC 400628. PYRONEMATACEAE Current name: Scutellinia superba (Velen.) Le Gal, Bull. trimest. Soc. mycol. Fr. 80: 123 (1964) Macroscopic features (Plate II, Fig. 1, Fig. 2): Cupulis: Disc-shaped apothecia, 3-5 mm diameter, red, coloured, edges with short hairs on young and mature specimens, margins smooth, sometimes wavy thin flesh somewhat reddish to orangish, attached to substrate with central area; Himenium: Upper surface of the apothecia is scarlet red or orange, smooth; Stipes: Absent. Microscopic features (Plate II, Fig. 3): Spores: elliptical, 18-24 x 13-16.7 µm, with round warts and oil drops. Asci: 8-spored; Paraphyses: with septum and swollen tips, 10-13 µm, brownish to orange coloured; Excipulum hairs with 0-9 septa, the ones with no septa have another hair inside with septa. Habitat: Saprophytic, arenicolous, grows on sandy soils in forests or on river banks; apothecia grow somewhat solitary, rarely grouped in small (2-4) clusters; found in the summer. Synonymy: Lachnea superba Velen., Monogr. Discom. Bohem. (Prague): 305 (1934) Chorology: In Europe the species is known from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Austria (Anonymous 2013), Czech Republic (Svrček 1948) and Germany (Schumacher 1990). Specimens examined: ● ad solum sabulosus –Giurgiu District: Argeş river meadow, ad marginem flumen, 44.47265°N, 25.87060°E, alt. 99 m, 09.V.2009; Leg. et det. Radu Mihai-Iulian. Vaucher specimen: BUC 400629. DIATRYPACEAE Current name: Peroneutypa scoparia (Schwein.) Carmarán & A.I. Romero, in Carmarán, Romero & Giussani, Fungal Diversity 23: 84 (2006) Macroscopic features (Plate III, Fig. 1, Fig. 2): extended stroma that usually blackens the host tissues, perithecia elongated, prominent, emerges in clusters of 4-6(8), usually through a stromatic disc. Microscopic features (Plate III, Fig. 3): Strongly allantoidal ascospores, 3-4 µm long; Asci 14-17 × 4-4.5 µm, with a truncate apex above the ascospores. Habitat: Saprophytic-parasitic, lignicolous, grows in clusters on hardwood, perithecia remnant all year long. Synonymy: Engizostoma heteracanthum (Sacc.) Kuntze, Revis. gen. pl. (Leipzig) 3(2): 474 (1898) Eutypa heteracantha (Sacc.) Sacc., Syll. fung. (Abellini) 1: 177 (1882) 60 Radu Mihai-Iulian Eutypa scoparia (Schwein.) L.C. Tiffany & J.C. Gilman, Iowa St. Coll. J. Sci. 40: 124 (1965) Eutypella scoparia (Schwein.) Ellis & Everh., N. Amer. Pyren. (Newfield): 495 (1892) Peroneutypa heteracantha (Sacc.) Berl., Icon. fung. (Abellini) 3: 81 (1902) Peroneutypella scoparia (Schwein.) Berl., Icon. fung. (Abellini) 3: 84 (1902) Sphaeria scoparia Schwein., Schr. naturf. Ges. Leipzig 1: 37 (1822) Valsa heteracantha Sacc., Mycotheca veneti: no. 129 (1873) Valsa scoparia (Schwein.) M.A. Curtis, Geol. Nat. Hist. Surv. N. Carol. 3: 141 (1867) Chorology: In Europe it was recorded from Austria, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Ireland, Denmark, Luxembourg (Anonymous 2013). Specimens examined: ● ad ramulos deciduous – Ilfov District: Cornetu Forest, in Carpino-Quercetum, 44.33112°N, 25.96949°E, alt. 79 m, 15.X.2011; Leg. et det. Radu Mihai-Iulian. Vaucher specimen: BUC 400630. Conclusion The discovery of three new records of Ascomycota macrofungi species for Romania, indicates that fungi diversity is yet to be discovered in this country, but also the lack of specific studies in the given area. Acknowledgements: The author would like to thank for all the support given to PhD Gavril Negrean and PhD Bsc. Paul Kirk. Also for all the help given in the field we would like to thank to PhD Daniel Kazimir Kurzeluk. References Anonymous (2013). The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). Retrieved 15