A new species of () from the Western Himalayas

S. C. KAUSHAL

Kaushal, S. C. 1980 09 18: A new species of Thecotheus (Pezizales) from the Western Himalayas. Boi. Notiser 133: 319-321. Stockholm. ISSN 0006-8195.

A new species, Thecotheus himalayensis Kaushal, is described. It is characterized by additional interascal elements in the hymenium and minutely warted ascospores. Anatomi• cal features of T. cinereus (Cr. & Cr.) Chen., based on Indian collections are given. Ascospores of T. pelletieri (Cr. & Cr.) Boud. are found to be smaller than in American and Canadian collections.

5. C. Kaushal, Department of Botany, Panjab University, Chandigarh-160014, India

I agree with Korf (1972) in including Thecotheus here (Fig. 1 A): ectal excipulum up to 85 //m Boud. in the tribe Iodophaneae of the family thick, a textura angularis, cells up to 25 x 16/

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Fig. 1. A: Thecotheus cinereus. — B-D: T. himalayensis. — A, B: V.S. of the apothecium passing through its margin. — C: V.S. of the apothecium passing through its centre. — D: Ascospores. — Arrows in B and C show additional interascal elements.

conoidea, carnosa, alba, margine integro; hymenium gradually reduced towards margin, with up to 6 album, asperum propter apices prominentes ascorum. firn broad hyphae; hypothecium indistinct. Asci Excipulum externum e textura angulari, ad 65,wm cras- sum, cellulis ad 24 x 17 [tm, parum crassitunicatis; (120-)160-175(-186) x 11-14 ^m, 8-spored, excipulum medullosum e textura intricata densa, ad 85 cylindrical, apex rounded, base long and narrow, um crassum, tenuis ad marginerò, hyphis ad 6//m latis; intensely J+ in fresh material (specially the hypothecium indistinctum. Asci (120-) 160-175(-186) x young asci), slightly less in dry material. Asco• ll-14//m, octospori, cylindrici, apice rotundo, longe stipitati, J +. Ascosporae 12,0-15,5 x 6-7 um. uni- spores 12.0-15.5 x 6-7 jum, uniseriate, some- seriatae, aliquando ad apicem congestae, ellipsoideae, times a few spores crowded near apex, ellipsoid, subhyalinae, verruculosae. Paraphyses filiformes, subhyaline, verruculose. Paraphyses up to 1.5 septatae, ramosae, ± rectae, deorsum ad l,5«m cras- jum wide below, very slightly enlarged above or sae. Filamenta simplicia, robusta, ± recta vel sursum paullo curvata, subhyalina, ad 5 um crassa ascis et not at ali, thin-walled, filiform, septate, freely paraphysibus immixta. branched at various levels, straight or slightly bent. Interspersed between asci and paraphyses Apothecia up to 2.5 mm in diameter, gregarious, are additional interascal elements which are single to crowded (only 2-3 cups placed togeth- erect, paraphyses-like, up to 5/um broad, slightK er), sessile or with a short thick stipe, shallow, narrow below, subhyaline, simple, stout, septate cupulate to turbinate or rarely obconical, regu- (septa at irregular intervals), straight or slightly lar, fleshy; external surface white, smooth; bent at top. margin entire; hymenium white, somewhat The additional interascal elements described roughened by protruding ascal tips. Ectal excipu• for the present species are not known anywhere lum a textura angularis. up to 65 ftm thick, with else in operculates except in Iodophanus kim- cells up to 24 x 17 ^m, usually more or less hroughii Thind & Kaushal (Thind & Kaushal hyphoid at margin with davate tips, slightly 1978). However, such elements have been re- thick-walled; medullary excipulum a dense tex• ported amongst inoperculates for Lambertclìa tura intricata, up to 85 um thick in the middle. acuminata and L. phaeoparaphysata by Dumont BOT. NOTISER 133 (1980) A new Thecotheus 321

(1971). T. himalayensis is distantly related to T. Dumont, K. P. 1971: Sclerotiniaceae. II. Lambertella. apiculatus Kimbr. but the latter has larger asci Meni. N. Y. Bot. Gard. 22: 1-178. Eckblad, F. E. 1968: The genera of Operculate Disco- and ascospores with very conspicuous apiculi. mycetes. A re-evaluation of their , phylo- geny and nomenclature. Nytt Mag. Bot. 15: 1-192. Acknowledgements. The author is grateful to the Kimbrough, J. W. 1969: North American species of USDA for financial help under P. L. 480 programme Thecotheus (Pezizeae, Pezizaceae). Mvcologia 61: and to the U.G.C. New Delhi, India for a special grant 99-114. to support this study. He is indebted to Dr N. Lund- Korf, R. P. 1972: Synoptic key to the genera of the qvist, Uppsala, for his kind help in the Latin diagnosis Pezizales. Mycologia 64: 937-999. of the new species. Le Gal, M. 1960: Les Discomycètes de l'herbier Crouan. U.Ann. Sci. Nat. Sr. 12. Bot. 1: 441-467. Le Gal, M. 1963: Valeur taxonomique particulière de References certains charactères chez les Discomycètes supé- rieurs. Bull Soc. Mycol. France 79: 456-470. Batra, L. R. & Batra, S. W. T. 1963: Indian Discomy- Thind, K. S. & Kaushal, S. C. 1978: Three species of cetes. Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull. 44: 109-256. Iodophanus from Western Himalayas. Indian Brummelen, J. V. 1967: A world-monograph of the Phytopath. 31: 343-347. genera and (Ascomycetes, Pezizales). Persoonia Suppl. I.