Mycosphere 8(4): 660–696 (2017) www.mycosphere.org ISSN 2077 7019 Article Doi 10.5943/mycosphere/8/4/12 Copyright © Guizhou Academy of Agricultural Sciences A preliminary checklist of Ascomycetous microfungi from Southern Uzbekistan Gafforov YS* Laboratory of Mycology, Institute of Botany and Zoology, Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, 232 Bogishamol Street, Tashkent 100053, Uzbekistan E-mail: [email protected] Gafforov YS 2017 – A preliminary checklist of ascomycetous microfungi from Southern Uzbekistan. Mycosphere 8(4), 660–696, Doi 10.5943/mycosphere/8/4/12 Abstract This study is an update of the available data concerning species of ascomycetous microfungi from Southern Uzbekistan. This revision is based on literature and herbaria records and recent field trips in the region. Currently, there are 333 species and 107 genera of ascomycetous microfungi known from region. Among these taxa Anthostoma melanotes, Camarosporium mori, Cucurbitaria negundinis, C. rhamni, Gloeosporium populi-albae are newly reported for ascomycetous mycota of Uzbekistan, while 26 microfungal species are new to the Southern region. The most frequently collected species of the genera are Alternaria, Ascochyta, Cucurbitaria, Cytospora, Leptosphaeria, Mycosphaerella, Pleospora, Phyllosticta, Ramularia and Septoria which are widely known for their cosmopolitan nature. The checklist includes details of the location and substrate on which they were encountered. This data will be useful in the compilation of ascomycetous microfungal biodiversity of Uzbekistan. This region, characterised by arid and semi-arid and dry forest and xerophytic plants provides an excellent opportunity to unravel the species diversity with the possibility of discovering many new species. Key words – Ascomycetes – arid and semi-arid area – Central Asia – distribution – inventory – mycobiota – new records Introduction The territory of Southern Uzbekistan includes the Kashkadarya and Surkhandarya regions that are located in the south of Central Asia (Fig1). It borders in the north with the Samarkand and Bukhara regions of Uzbekistan, in the east with Tajikistan, in the west with Turkmenistan, and in the south Afghanistan. The southern boundary of the region runs along the Amu Darya River, which is the border between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. Southern Uzbekistan covers 48,500 km2 (18,800 sq miles). In the territory are a part of the Hissar Range and western slopes of the Pamir- Alay Mountains, which rich plant flora with ca. 2389 species of vascular plants (Norbobaeyva 2005). The territory falls in the Flora of Central Asian botanical region within the larger temperate Asia floral geographic region according to World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions’ system (Brummitt 2001). The typically Central Asian composition of the Hissar-Alai mountain flora is expressed in predominance of Fabaceae (especially Astragalus spp.), Asteraceae (especially Cousinia spp.), Submitted 3 April 2017, Accepted 19 April 2017, Published 30 April 2017 Corresponding Author: Yusufjon Sh. Gafforov – e-mail – [email protected] 660 Brassicaceae, Poaceae, Lamiaceae, and various wild onions (Allium spp.). The characteristic) Southern Uzbekistan vegetation types include coniferous woodland of juniper trees, ephemeroid herb vegetation, and high alpine meadows, as well as unique fruit and relict nut forests with characteristic plants being pistachio, almond and other deciduous shrub and small trees. The desert and semi-desert landscapes of the north give way to middle and high mountains in the south and east. The highest point in Southern Uzbekistan is the peak of Hazrati Sultan in the Hissar mountain range (4643 m, 15,233 ft) in the Surkhandarya region. Southern Uzbekistan is located in the center of the Eurasian continent, far from the oceans, and neighbouring position of the deserts determine the continental climate with mild wet winters and hot dry summers (Lioubimtseva & Henebry 2009). In contrast to the great number of publications dealing with the plant flora, few studies were carried out to document the fungi of Uzbekistan. Studies on microfungal biota of Uzbekistan were first started by Zaprometov (1926, 1928) and followed by Golovin (1947, 1949a,b, 1950); Kleiner (1958); Lebedeva (1958); Gaponenko (1959, 1965); Baymuratova (1963); Panfilova & Gaponenko (1963); Sagdullaeva (1965); Usmonov (1965); Axmedova (1966); Korbonskaya (1969); Kravcova (1969); Kirgizbaeva (1972); Kuchmi (1970); Eshonqulov (1973); Ibadov (1973); Gulyamova (1975); Ramazanova (1975); Shtok (1982); Zuparov (1984); fungal flora of Uzbekistan 1983-1997; Kamilov (1991); Khasanov (1992); Xolmurodov (1994); Sheraliev (2001); Solieva & Gafforov (2001, 2002a,b); Solieva et al. (2007); Gafforov (2002, 2003a,b, 2004, 2005a,b, 2007a,b, 2010, 2014, 2015); Gafforov & Solieva (2002a,b); Nuraliev et al. (2005, 2008); Gafforov & Yarasheva (2011); Gafforov & Tamotsu (2015); Gafforov et al. (2007, 2009, 2012, 2016). However, diversity of fungi in the part of Southern Uzbekistan has received little attention, especially in ascomycetous microfungi (Eshonqulov 1973, Solieva 1989, Nuraliev 1999, Nuraliev et al. 2006, Sheraliev 2001, Gafforov 2016a, b). The checklists of fungi of several countries have been published or updated. However, no checklists of fungi have hitherto been published for Uzbekistan. The present list is concerned with only ascomycetous microfungi species from soil and some other substrates such as plants. Powdery mildews and larger fungi of ascomycetes are not included in the present list. Therefore, it should be mentioned here that, although the present study will add some new data to our information concerning the Ascomycota of Uzbekistan, this updated check-list must be considered as provisional awaiting supplementation. The purpose of this study is to provide a preliminary checklist of ascomycetous microfungi from this region. Materials & Methods A checklist of ascomycetous microfungal species recorded in the Southern Uzbekistan was based a compilation of literature data, specimens from Tashkent Mycological herbarium (TASM), and field survey specimen collection (Fig 1) in 2015-2016. Dried specimens were observed microscopically, and measured following standard methods. The ascomycetous specimens were identified using the relevant literature (Sutton 1980, Melnik 1997, 2000, Braun 1995, 1998, Fungal Flora of Uzbekistan 1989-1997, Braun et al. 2003, Verkley et al. 2004, Crous et al. 2006, Phillips et al. 2008, Crous 2009, Mugambi & Huhndorf 2009, Wikee et al. 2011, Zhang et al. 2012, Slippers et al. 2013, Gafforov 2015, Linaldeddu et al. 2016). Flowering host plant species were identified using “Central Asian Plant Classifier” (1968-1993) and “Flora of Uzbekistan” (1941-1962). Fungal specimens collected in the field survey were deposited in Tashkent Mycological herbarium (TASM) of the Institute of Botany and Zoology. The specimens are listed under each ascomycetous fungus taxon in the Result and Discussion section. Names of collectors were abbreviated in initials: YG (Yusufjon Gafforov), YS (Yakut Solieva) and IM (Iliyor Mustafoev). The databases Index Fungorum (http://www.indexfungorum.org/Names/Names.asp) and Mycobank (http://www.mycobank.org/) and The Plant List (http://www.theplantlist.org/) were consulted for current nomenclature and correct author names of fungi and host plants. Species names are listed alphabetically and data such as, hosts, substrate, and reference are provided. Fungi 661 not identified to the species level were not considered. New species are established based on recommendations outlined by Jeewon & Hyde (2016). Figure 1 – Map of Southern Uzbekistan and route of mycological investigation Results Based on the compilation of literature data, re-checking of specimens in TASM and species collected in field sampling, a total of 333 species of ascomycetous microfungi belonging to 107 genera and 39 families were recorded in Southern Uzbekistan from 1973 to 2016. Among the microfungi illustrated here fourteen genera and 24 species have not been accommodated in specific families or order and therefore reffered to as incertae sedis. Among the studied taxa Anthostoma melanotes, Camarosporium mori, Cucurbitaria negundinis, C. rhamni, Gloeosporium populi-albae are newly reported for ascomycetous mycota of Uzbekistan, and 26 microfungi are recorded for the first time in the study area. Novelties in distribution are indicated in the list. The order most represented order in the study area is Pleosporales (132 species in 32 genera, 39.64%), followed by Capnodiales (80; 18; 24.02%), Botryosphaeriales (33; 8; 9.91%), Diaporthales (17; 7; 5.11%), Hypocreales (16; 4; 4.80%), Helotiales (14; 10; 4.20%), and other orders remaining are represented by twelve to five species each (Table 1). The most represented families are Mycosphaerellaceae (72; 16; 21.62%), Pleosporaceae (53; 7; 15.92%), Didymellaceae (24; 4; 7.21%), Phyllostictaceae (18; 2; 5.41%), Nectriaceae (16; 4; 4.80%), Phaeosphaeriaceae (13; 5; 3.60%) and other families include 9-10 species each (Table1). The genera with the highest number of recorded species are Pleospora (30 species, 9.01%), followed by Septoria (25; 7.51%), Phyllosticta (17; 5.11%), Ramularia (16; 4.80%), Ascochyta (15; 4.50%), Mycosphaerella (13; 3.90%), Alternaria (10; 3.00%), Cucurbitaria and Leptosphaeria (per 9; 2.70%), Cytospora (7; 2.10%); the other genera have 6-1 species (Table1). Although the ascomycetous microfungi of Southern Uzbekistan are diverse,