Asian Jr. of Microbiol. Biotech. Env. Sc. Vol. 15, No. (3) : 2013 : 491-494 © Global Science Publications ISSN-0972-3005 PEZIZALES OF WEST BENGAL, INDIA I. PYRONEMATACEAE: LAMPROSPORA AND MILADINA PRAKASH PRADHAN1,2, ARUN KUMAR DUTTA 1,2 AND KRISHNENDU ACHARYA 1* 1 Molecular and Applied Mycology and Plant Pathology Laboratory, Department of Botany, University College of Science and Agriculture, Taraknath Siksha Prangan, University of Calcutta, Kolkata 700 019, West Bengal, India. 2 West Bengal Biodiversity Board, Paribesh Bhawan, Salt Lake City, Kolkata 700 098, West Bengal, India. (Received 31 December, 2012; Accepted 15 February, 2013) Key words: Psilopezioid, Diversity, Macrofungi, New Record Abstract - Two members of the family Pyrenomycetaceae were collected from Lateritic region of West Bengal. Literature survey revealed that Lamprospora carbonicola represent new record for West Bengal and Miladina lecithina represent a new record for India. A detailed macro and microscopic and habitat features of them were presented in this paper. INTRODUCTION The family Pyronemataceae was established by A.C.J. Corda in the year 1842. It is the largest and most heterogenous family of the order Pezizales, which encompasses around 75 genera (Eriksson, 2006) and 500 species (Kirk et al., 2001), which is around half of the known species within Pezizales. The family is primarily temperate to arctic-alpine in distribution, with a few taxa known from the tropics (Perry et al., 2007). Members of the family are diverse in ascomatal or cleistothecial morphology, with sessile to stipitate, cupulate, discoid, pulvinate, or turbinate epigeous apothecia, as well as sub-hypogeous to hypogeous taxa with closed, folded, or solid ascomata. Apothecia may range in size from less than 1 mm up to 12 cm diameter, and may be brightly coloured due to the presence of carotenoid pigments. The family has great ecological spectrum related to substrate preference, evidenced by the members showing terricolous, coprophilous, lignicolous, pyrophilous, urinophilic and bryophilous habits (Perry et al., 2007). The majority of taxa within the family are known to be saprophytic, however, some of them have also been reported to be parasitic on bryophytes (Benkert, 1993; Döbbler, 1979), as ectomycorrhizal associates (Perry et al., *Corresponding author’s email: krish_paper@yahoo.com 2007). In this communication, we are reporting two members of Pyronemataceae; a terricole Lamprospora carbonicola as a new record for West Bengal and a psilopezioid lignicole Miladina lecithina (Cooke) Svrcek as a new record from India. India has report of 10 species and 3 varieties of the genus Lamprospora. Nine of the reported collections are from Mussoorie (Uttar Pradesh) alone, other reports are from, Rohtak (Punjab), Gulmark (Jammu and Kashmir), Solan (Himachal Pradesh), Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) (Bilgrami et al., 1991). Lamprospora carbonaria (currently L. Carbonicola) was reported from Musoorie, Himachal Pradesh in India (Thind and Batra, 1957). Genus Lamprospora from the state of West Bengal is represented by a single collection of Lamprospora lobata (Berk. & Curtis) Seaver which is currently considered synonymous to Lazuardia lobata (Berk. & Curtis) Rifai was collected from Kalimpong, Darjeeling (Thind and Waraitch, 1971). Most of the Indian collections were made from humicolous and clayey soil which were mostly vegetated with mosses and sometimes at the burnt sites of charcoal preparation (Bilgrami et al., 1991). Miladina lecithina is a “Psilopezioid” Pyrenomycete characterized morphologically by its sessile base and pulvinate to shallow cupulate fruitbody and substrate wise its preference for wet or submerged PRADHAN ET AL. 492 wood (Pfister, 1973). It is known to be distributed in various parts of Europe and North America, and are reported mostly from the habitat of water soaked wood (Yao and Spooner, 1995). The only psilopezioid fungus known from India (Thind and Waraitch, 1970) is Pachyella babingtonii (Berk. & Broome) Boud. [reported as Psilopezia babingtonii (Berk. & Broome) Berk.] from the localities of Darjeeling (West Bengal), Kulu (Himachal Pradesh) and Pahalgam (Jammu and Kashmir). MATERIAL AND METHODS Study materials were collected during the field survey period of 2008-2011, in the Lateritic region of West Bengal. The Latitude/Longitude of the occurrence locations were noted with Garmin etrex GPS machine. Collections were carefully studied regarding their morphology, ecology, and related features, and were photographed and dried before being carefully taken to the laboratory for their identification and preservation. Thin handmade sections of the dry specimens were revived with 5% KOH and mounted with Congo red for microscopic examinations and were observed under the Carl Zeiss AX10 Imager A1 phase contrast microscope. Collections were identified according to the standard literatures (Pfister, 1973; Seaver, 1914; Wang and Kimbrough, 1992; Seaver, 1961; Larsen, 1980). Spores from three mature basidiocarp collections (n=30) were studied. Line drawings were made with the help of camera lucida. Website of www.mycobank.org was consulted regarding legitimate scientific names and their systematic position. The voucher specimens have been deposited with the accession code AMFH in the Mycological Herbarium of University of Calcutta, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. DESCRIPTION OF SPECIES Lamprospora carbonicola Boud Position in classification†: Fungi, Ascomycota, Pezizomycotina, Pezizomycetes, Pezizomycetidae, Pezizales, Pyronemataceae, Lamprospora, Lamprospora carbonicola †http://www.mycobank.org/ Biolomics.aspx?Table=Mycobank & Page=200& ViewMode=Basic; accessed on 28th December, 2012. Obligate synonym(s) Barlaeina carbonicola (Boud.) Sacc. & Traverso Octospora carbonicola (Boud.) Wang Facultative synonym Lamprospora carbonaria (Fuckel) Seaver Ascocarp globose when young (Fig. 1a), becoming apothecial at maturity (Fig. 1b), apothecia planar, discoidal to concave, margin wavy and often irregular by lateral mutual pressure, base sessile, gregarious, 1.5-4.2 mm broad, 1-1.8 mm high, hymenium yellow orange, receptacle lighter than hymenium, bottom with short hyphal hairs, entangled with soil particles. Excipulum (walls of apothecium) of large polygonal cells without intercellular spaces, 11.74-31.87 × 21.80-46.9 μm, thick 187.88 μm, marginal cells elongate, 11.7426.84 × 31.87-41.93 μm, arranged parallel, with wide lumina and thin walls, free ends forming margin, margin 182.84 μm high above hymenium. Subhymenium of hyphae running in all directions, interwoven with globose cells, 21.8-53.68 μm thick, hyphal cells 2.35 μm in diameter, interhyphal spaces present. Hymenium 204.66 μm thick. Ascospores uniseriate, hyaline, globose, uniguttulate (Fig. 1d), 16.9-18.79 μm in diameter, globose, hyaline, filled with oil droplet, walls upto 3.36 μm thick, lacking germ pore; reticulate, spores marked with fine ridges, less than 0.6 μm wide, forming delicate reticulations, mesh 1-3 μm in diameter, 711 meshes per spore diameter. Asci 8-spored (Fig. 1e), cylindric to cylindrico-clavate, operculate (Fig. 1c), hyaline, inamyloid, with croziers at base, 214.4256.95 × 17.13-21.41 μm. Paraphyses straight to curved, filiform (Fig. 1f), hyaline, encrusted with minute scattered granules on the exterior wall, 256.95-314.05 × 2.855-3.52 μm, apex protruding beyond the hymenial layer upto to 6 μm. Specimen examined: India, West Bengal: Kataberia Sal Forest, Burdwan District, 23.6163°N, 87.3728° E, 87 m amsl. On moist sandy soil in the shade of trees, 24th August, 2008, Prakash Pradhan, AMFH 138; Ilambazar Sal Forest, Birbhum District, 23.637°N, 87.5791° E, 69 m amsl. On moist, burnt sandygravelly forest floor among, in shade, 10 th July, 2011, Prakash Pradhan and Arun Kumar Dutta, AMFH 412. Discussion: Genus Lamprospora is known to be bryophilic (Benkert, 1976; Benkert, 1987) and they have been collected around the globe from soil among mosses (Seaver, 1942; Rifai, 1968). Even, their association (as rhizoid parasities) (Döbbler, 1979) with a particular moss genus (mostly Funaria Pezizales of West Bengal, India I. Pyronemataceae: Lamprospora and Miladina 493 Fig. 1 Lamprospora carbonicola A. Young Ascocarps, B. Mature Ascocarps, C. Operculum, D. Ascospores, E. Asci, F. Paraphyses (A–B, bar = 2 mm; C–F, bar=10 μm). Fig. 2 Miladina lecithina A. Ascocarps, B. Asci, C. Ascospores, D. Paraphyses, E. Operculum (A, bar = 3mm; B–E, bar=10 μm). and Tortula) (Döbbler, 1979) have been proposed (Benkert, 1976). Materials studied in the current study show no such relationships, or due to ephemeral nature of both the taxa, occurrence of bryophytic host was not found at the time of survey. The reticulation on spore surfaces is almost smooth (Boudier, 1907) and is not obvious without staining (particularly with cotton blue) (Le, 1940). Morphologically and ecologically, the studied collections resemble the synonymous L. carbonaria (Seaver, 1942) having globose smooth spores with curved paraphyses and growing upon burnt ground. Earlier Indian report of Lamprospora mussooriensis differs from the currently reported L. carbonicola in having yellow apothecia and smaller spores (Thind et al., 1959). on 28th December, 2012. Basionym: Peziza lecithina Cooke Miladina lecithina (Cooke) Svrcek Bibliography: Svrcek, M., 1972, Ceská Mykologie 26(4): 214 Position in classification‡: Fungi, Ascomycota, Pezizomycotina, Pezizomycetes, Pezizomycetidae, Pezizales, Pyronemataceae, Miladina, Miladina lecithina ‡http://www.mycobank.org/Biolomics.aspx?Table =Mycobank&Page=200&ViewMode=Basic; accessed Obligate synonym(s): Helotium lecithinum (Cooke) Massee Humaria lechithina (Cooke) Sacc. Humaria lecithina (Cooke) Sacc. Inermisia lecithina (Cooke) Dennis & Itzerott Miladina lechithina (Cooke) Svrcek Peziza lecithina Cooke Pustularia lecithina (Cooke) Rea Associated anamorph: Actinospora megalospora Ingold Ascocarp apothecial (Fig. 2a), epigeous, gregarious, sessile, 1-2 mm long, 2-3 mm in diameter, shallow cupulate to inversely sub-conic with applanate to subdiscoid hymenium, orange to yellowish orange, becoming darker during drying, flesh with same colour. Apothecium with a definite margin (Fig. 2a), margin entire to undulating. Hymenium smooth, concolorous with the ascocarp. Base broadly attached to the substrate, gregarious, closely crowded together or congested, sometimes compressed due to congestion, with few whitish anchoring hyphae, obvious hyphal mat absent. Ascospores elliptical (Fig. 2c), 15.76-23.84×8.27-11.43 μm, hyaline, uniseriate, partly overlapping, PRADHAN ET AL. 494 minutely warty, warts cyanophilic, guttulate, oil droplets 2-3 in no. pale pinkish in colour, prominent. Asci eight spored (Fig. 2b), 275.8-315.2 × 9.85-13.79 μm, walls 3.15 μm thick, not strongly protruding beyond hymenium, hyaline, cylindrical, apex rounded, base narrowed and bent, operculate, operculum angular (Fig. 2e). Paraphyses 204.88-275.8×2.36-4.73 μm, hyaline, filiform, refractive, turning greenish when fresh with iodine, slightly expanded at the apex, narrowed at base, numerous, unbranching, not deformed (Fig. 2d). Specimen examined: India, West Bengal: Nischintapur, Birbhum District, 24.1818°N, 87.7682°E, 41 m amsl. gregarious upon the fallen and moist twig of Dalbergia sissoo alongside the bank of a pond, 7th July, 2009, Prakash Pradhan, AMFH 5. DISCUSSION Previously called Peziza lecithina Cooke, the fungus has been transferred to Miladina lecithina, the only species of the monotypic genus (Pfister, 1993) Miladina Svrcek. Morphologically, Miladina lecithina is characterized by the cupulate-discoid, epigeous, lignicolous and sessile apothecium showing hydrophily. 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