PERSOONIA
Volume 18, Part 2,265-269(2003)
A new species of Lophiotrema from wild fruit
in Hong Kong
A.M.C. Tang K.D.Hyde K.M. Tsui & R.T. Corlett
Centre for Research in Fungal Diversity, Department ofEcology & Biodiversity,
The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China
is described and illustrated based Lophiotremapsychotrii spec. nov. on specimens oc-
curringonPsychotria asiatica and Rhodomyrtus tomentosa fruits in HongKong. This
species is characterized by small, hyaline, guttulate, uniseptate, fusiform ascospores
bearing a narrowmucilaginous sheath, which is narrow in the middle and drawn out
at both ends to form pad-like appendages.A synoptic table and key to Lophiotrema
species is provided.
Psychotria asiatica L. (Rubiaceae) is oneofthe most common native understorey shrubs
in Hong Kong and South China(Davis et al., 2001). It occurs widely in shrublandand its
fruits are small and fleshy, presumably dispersed by birds (Corlett, 1996). Its abundance and successful colonizationin degraded landscapes makes it one of the suitable candi-
dates for studies of fructicolous fungi, due to the potentially conflicting relationship
with frugivorous birds and microbes (Herrera, 1982;Cipollini & Stiles, 1993; Cipollini,
2000). The fruits need to attract dispersers after ripening, but repel microbes. In the
current study, the mycota of different wild fruits species are being investigated. An ascomycete was foundon a decaying fruitofPsychotria asiatica, belonging to the genus
Lophiotrema Ces. & De Not. It is describedand illustrated here.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Decaying fruits ofPsychotria asiatica were collected from Lung Fu Shan, in Hong
Kong. The fruits were returned to the laboratory and incubated at room temperature
(~23°C) in 'zip lock' plastic bags with added sterile moist paper at room temperature.
Fruits were examined under the stereo-microscope periodically. Squash mounts and sec-
tions offungal fruit-bodieswere mounted in water for measurement and photographed
with isolated and maintainedin the of a digital camera. Fungi were are University Hong
Kong Culture Collection (HKUCC) and fruits with fungi were dried and deposited in
the University of Hong Kong Herbarium (HKU(M)).
RESULTS
Lophiotrema psychotrii A.M.C. Tang, K.D. Hyde, K.M. Tsui & R.T. Corlett,
spec. nov. — Figs. 1-9
Ascomata 70-110 85-140 ostiolo fissuriformi. Asci 64-80 //m alta, pim diam., erumpentes, x
6-7.5 14-17 4-4.5 uni- pm, 8-spori, bitunicati,cylindrici. Ascosporae x /an, fusiformes,bicellulae,
septatae, hyalinae, 2-3 guttulis. 266 PERSOONIA - Vol. 18, Part 2, 2003
Holotypus: Hong Kong, Hong Kong Island, Lung Fu Shan, on fruit of Psychotria asiatica,
15.XII.2001, A.M.C. Tang (HKU(M) 16702). Living culture ofHKU(M) 16702 in HKUCC 9015.
Etymology: named afterthe host.
Ascomata 70-110pim high, 85-140pim in diameter,erumpent, broadly oblong with
flattened neck, developing on a thin black stromatic crust, opening with an elongated
slit-likeostiole, carbonaceous,black. Peridium 14-30/tm thick atthe sides, 10-14
at the base, comprising black-walled textura angularis, encrusted with melanin particles,
in half abundant, cellular, darker the upper and lighter at the base. Pseudoparaphyses
to 2 i in diameter. Asci 64-80 x 6-7.5 thick-walled, bitunicate, up pin pim, cylindrical,
fissitunicate, with an ocular chamberand faintring, arising from the base ofthe ascoma,
8-spored (Figs. 5, 6). Ascospores 14-17 x 4-4.5 pim (on average 15.25 x 4.15 pim,
n = 20), uniseriateto biseriate, fusiform, hyaline, uniseptate, constricted at the septum,
with 2 or 3 lipid guttules in each cell, surrounded by a narrow mucilaginous sheath,
the form 1-2 thick; sheath is narrow in the middle and drawn out at ends to pad-
like appendages (Figs. 7-9).
Habitat — Saprobic on fruits.
Known distribution — Hong Kong.
Othermaterial examined. HONGKONG: New Territories, Pat Sin Leng, ondecaying fruit of Rhodo-
M.C. culture in HKUCC myrtus tomentosa (Myrtaceae), 22.XII.2001,4. Tang, (HKU(M) 16731,living
9045).
DISCUSSION
The has been treated of several genus Lophiotrema as a synonym Lophiostoma by authors (Chesters & Bell, 1970; Hawksworth et al., 1983; Eriksson & Hawksworth.
1987). Holm & Holm (1988) separated Lophiotrema from Lophiostoma by the differ-
ences of peridium and ascospore morphology and five species were described. Barr
(1992) accepted this classification, with three additional species. The new fungus
foundin the current survey shares characters which are typical ofLophiotrema species.
Lophiotrema psychotrii is characterizedby having typically small ascomata (85-140
pim), a peridium composed of textura angularis, up to 15 pim wide, cylindrical asci,
characteristics differ from and hyaline ascospores with a mucilaginous sheath. These
typical Lophiostoma species, where the ascomata are generally larger (200-700 //m),
the peridium comprises several layers ofparallel, long, prismatic cells, asci are mostly
clavate and ascospores often have terminal appendages rather than a mucilaginous
sheath (Holm & Holm, 1988; Liew et al., 2002; Hyde et al., 2002).
Presently, there are 8 species of Lophiotrema (Holm & Holm, 1988; Barr, 1992).
Holm& Holm (1988) provided a key to five species, but two ofthese were not formally
described (named only as Lophiotrema sp. 1 and 2). Therefore a key to the six named
species is provided here.Lophiotrema psychotrii is similar to L. alpinum in spore mor-
phology. However, the former differs in having smallerascospores (14-17 x 4-4.5pim
(15 18—20 x 4-4.5 asci (64-80 x 6-7.5 80-100 x 7-11 and a dif- vs. —) pim), pim vs. pim),
ferent type of mucilaginous sheath (Barr, 1992). The sheath in L. psychotrii is narrow in
the middleand drawn out to form pad-like appendages at both ends, whileascospores of
L. alpinum are surrounded by a condensedsheath. Lophiotrema neohysterioides should also be compared with L. psychotrii-, they have fusiform spores with a similar sizerange, al.: 267 Tang et Lophiotrema psychotrii spec. Nov.
Figs. 1-9. 1.Ascomata ofLophiotremapsychotrii on host surface, with slite-like ostiole; 2. vertical
section through ascoma; 3. vertical section through ostiole; 4. pseudoparaphyses; 5, 6. asci; 7-9.
surrounded in the middle and drawn form ascospores, by mucilaginous sheath, narrow out to pad-like
both ends. Scale bars: 1 100 2-9 10 structures at = μm; = μm.
but in the former ascospores are three-septate at maturity and each ascospore has two lipid guttules per cell. The mucilaginous sheath, if present, is narrow and condensed, and does not form pads as in L. psychotrii (Chesters & Bell, 1970; Barr, 1992). 268 PERSOONIA - Vol. 18, Part 2, 2003
wood
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distinct stems idaeus
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£ £ in x middle £ pm middle x 2Lpm S. appendages fruit 2 drawn ends diam. u-j drawn 3 psychotrii '3 species -i the oror B 1 Fusiform 85-140 pm 64-80 6-1.51 14-17 4-4.5 Narrow and both like Wild L. sO •rf 2 - in
Lophiotrema x >od £ wood 7 £ x pm (N 2L
£ s. of 7) 2S,pm 0 diam. T3 -5 (N 11 3 nucula Co 120-130 18-21(-24)x1 E 7 Frondose£ 1 Ellipsoid 200-300 pm 8-11 OO 5—6(— Absent characters L. =1. 00 «o 2 3 "3 andS3 of :§ C c s o xX x wood availableavailab £ 2k. boreale B 13 00 pm 2L Not 80-9006-08 7-81 14-16 Oblong Absent Salix L. r- 3O 0o and X con- § o .2 c Ct c 2 c 3 03 0 & £ s Shape Guttules/3 SeptaticSeptation Mucilag- sheathsheath o c cell inous O 09 Ascomatao o Ascosporeso < Asci< < IHost 269 Tang et al.: Lophiotrema psychotrii spec. Nov. KEY TO LOPHIOTREMA SPECIES 1 a. Ascospores fusiform 2 b. Ascospores oblong or ellipsoid 5 2a. Ascospores 1 -septate 3 b. Ascospores 3-septate at maturity L. neohysterioides 6-7 3a. Ascospores with wide mucilaginous sheath, 24-30 x gm . . . L. vagabundum b. Ascospores with narrow mucilaginous sheath 4 4a. Ascospores with 2 or 3 guttules/cell, constricted at septum, 14-17 x 4-4.5 /im L. psychotrii b. Ascospores with 2 guttules/cell, slightly constricted at septum, (15—)18—20 x 4-4.5 L. alpinum 5a. Ascospores oblong 6 b. Ascospores ellipsoid L. nucula 6a. Ascospores constricted at septum, 14-16 x 3 L. boreale b. Ascospores not constricted at septum, 18-24 x 4-5 //m L. velatum ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A.M.C.Tang is grateful to The University of HongKong for the award of a Postgraduate Student- ship. M.T.W.Choy and H.Y.M. Leung are thanked for photographic and technical assistance. REFERENCES Barr, M.E. 1992. Notes on the Lophiostomataceae: Pleosporales. Mycotaxon 45: 191-221. Chesters, C.G.C.&A. Bell. 1970. Studies in Lophiostomataceae.Mycol. Pap. 120: 1-55. Cipollini, M.L. 2000. Secondary metabolites of vertebrate-dispersed fruits: evidence for adaptive functions. Rev. Chil. Hist. Nat. 73: 421-440. M.L. & E.W. Stiles. 1993. Fruit and of fruits for Cipollini, rot, antifungal defense, palatability fleshy frugivorous birds. Ecology 74: 751-762. Corlett, R.T. 1996. Characteristics of vertebrate-dispersed fruits in Hong Kong. J. Trop. Ecol. 12: 819-833. Davis, A.P., D. Bridson, C. Jarvis & R. Govaerts. 2001. The typification and characterization of the Rubiaceae. Biol. Linn. Soc. 135: 35-42. genus Psychotria L. J. Eriksson, O. & D.L. Hawksworth. 1987. An alphabetical list ofthe generic names of ascomycetes- 1987. Systema Ascomycetum 6: 1-109. Hawksworth, D.L., B.C. Sutton & G.C. Ainsworth. 1983. Ainsworth and Bisby's Dictionary of the Fungi (7th ed.). CMI, Kew, Surrey, England. Herrera, C.M. 1982. Defense of ripe fruit from pests: its significance in relation to plant-disperser interactions. Am. Nat. 120: 751-762. Holm, L. & K. Holm. 1988. Studies in the Lophiostomataceaewith emphasis on the Swedish species. Ups. Symb. Bot. 18(2): 1-50. Hyde, K.D., W.S.W. Wong & A. Aptroot. 2002. Marine and estuarine species of Lophiostoma and Massarina. In: K.D. Hyde (ed.),Fungi in Marine Environments. Fungal Diversity Research Series 7: 93-109. Liew, E.C.Y., A. Aptroot & K.D. Hyde. 2002. An evaluation of the monophyly of Massarina based ribosomal 803-813. on DNA sequences. Mycologia 94: