Ascomata scattered, immersed, globose to subglobose in section, 160-220 [micro]m high, 140-250 [micro]m diam. Ostiolar neck central, papillate to short cylindrical, 37-50 [micro]m long, 52-75(-100) [micro]m wide. Ascomatal wall in longitudinal section uniformly 12-20 [micro]m thick, composed of 4-6 layers of polygonal to subglobose, brown cells of 5-20 x 3.5-10 [micro]m. Pseudoparaphyses cellular, septate, branched and anastomosed, 2.5-4 [micro]m wide. Asci fissitunicate, cylindrical, 75-115 x 15-20.5 [micro]m (av. 89.8 x 17.5 [micro]m, n = 30), rounded at the apex and with a shallow ocular chamber, short-stalked (7-14.5 [micro]m long), with 8 biseriate ascospores. Ascospores broadly fusiform, 20-28 x 6.5-11 [micro]m (av. 23.4 x 8.3 [micro]m, n = 50), l/w 2.3-3.3 (av. 2.8, n = 50), with a submedian septum (0.54-0.59; av. 0.56, n = 50), constricted at the septum, hyaline, smooth, with an entire sheath; sheath gelatinous, 2-7 [micro]m, staining with Black-Blue ink when in fresh condition, delimited and 1-3 [micro]m wide when in dry condition.
In culture both sexual and asexual morphs formed. Conidiomata pycnidial, 80-100 [micro]m high, 100-120 [micro]m diam, scattered, globose in section. Conidiomatal wall in longitudinal section uniformly 6-13 [micro]m wide, composed of 3-4 layers of polygonal, thin-walled, 7-17 x 2.5-6 [micro]m, pale brown cells. Conidiophores absent. Conidiogenous cells annellidic, cylindrical to subglobose, 8-17 x 5-9 [micro]m. Conidia cylindrical, 3(-5)-septate, hyaline, smooth, (25-)27-37(-48) x 8-11 [micro]m (av. 32.9 x 9.5 [micro]m, n = 60), l/w 2.7-4.1(-5.1) (av. 3.5, n = 60), without sheath. Ascospores in culture slightly larger than those on the natural host, 27-33 x 10-12 [micro]m.
Specimen examined: Japan, Hokkaido, Isl. Rebun, Funadomari, Kusyuko (pond), on dead leaves of Carex sp., 3 Jun. 2004, K. Tanaka, KT 1726A = HHUF 29095, culture JCM 13099 = MAFF 239609.
Notes: The characteristics of the above material match those in the original description of S. perfecta described from Carex acutiformis in the Netherlands (Quaedvlieg et al. 2013), except that the conidia in our material were wider (8-11 [micro]m vs. 6-8 [micro]m). LSU and ITS sequences obtained from our material and those from the ex-type of S. perfecta (GenBank LSU: KF251761, ITS: KF251258) were identical. The sexual morph of this species has been referred to as didymella-like (Quaedvlieg et al. 2013), and fits well with the generic concept of Saccharicola (Eriksson & Hawksworth 2003), but this genus should be synonymised under the older genus Stagonospora (Saccardo 1884).
Stagonospora pseudoperfecta Kaz. Tanaka & K. Hiray., sp. nov. MycoBank MB811317. Fig. 28.
Etymology: After its morphological similarity to Stagonospora perfecta.
Ascomata scattered, immersed, globose in section, 200-250 [micro]m high, 210-260 [micro]m diam. Ostiolar neck central, papillate, 35-63 [micro]m long, 63 [micro]m wide. Ascomatal wall in longitudinal section uniformly 10-15 [micro]m thick, composed of 3-5 layers of polygonal to subglobose, brown cells of 6-16.5 x 3.5-11.5 [micro]m. Pseudoparaphyses cellular, numerous, 3-6 [micro]m wide, septate, branched, anastomosed. Asci fissitunicate, clavate, 66-100 x 13.5-17.5 [micro]m (av. 86.3 x 15.4 [micro]m, n = 20), rounded at apex and with a shallow apical chamber, short-stalked (7-17.5 [micro]m long), with 8 irregularly biseriate to triseriate ascospores....