J Mycol Pl Pathol, Vol. 41, No.1, 2011 6 Custingophora lignicola sp. nov. and Chaetopsina indica sp. nov. from India D. Nagaraju, I.K. Kunwar, G. Suresh Kumar and C. Manoharachary* Botany Department, Osmania University, Hyderabad 500 007, Andhra Pradesh, India. E-mail: cmchary@gmail.com Abstract Custingophora lignicola sp. nov. and Chaetopsina indica sp. nov. are described from Bhadrachalam forest area of Khammam district, Andhra Pradesh, India. C. lignicola is characterized by long, wavy conidiophores with short, cylindric conidia. C. indica is distinguished by clavate conidiogenous cells borne directly on the setose conidiophores and cylindro-fusoid conidia. Key words: wavy conidiophores, slimy head, clavate conidiogenous cells, conidia cylindro-fusoid Citation: Nagaraju D, Kunwar IK, Kumar GS and Manoharachary C. 2011. Custingophora lignicola sp. nov. and Chaetopsina indica sp. nov. from India. J Mycol Pl Pathol 41(1):6-10. During surveys (2008-2010) of microfungi from Bhadrachalam and Kothaguedem forest area of Khammam district, Andhra Pradesh, India, two novel dematiaceous hyphomycetes belonging to Custingophora Stolk, Hennebert and Klopotek and Chaetopsina Rambelli were encountered. Genus Custingophora was described with type species C. olivacea Stolk, Hennebert and Klopotek isolated from compost in Germany (Stolk and Hennebert 1968). Custingophora is characterized by having a group of phialides at the swollen apex of the strongly pigmented conidiophore and hyaline conidia aggregated in slimy heads. Chaetopsina was erected by Rambelli (1956) with the type species C. fulva described from collections on decaying leaves of Cedrus deodara Loud., Laurus nobilis L., Carpinus sp. and Querca sp. in northern Italy. Chaetopsina is characterizd by setose conidiophores bearing conidiogenous cells directly or on short branches, and cylindrical conidia in slimy masses or parallel bundles. Custingophora lignicola Nagaraju, Kunwar, Sureshk. et Manohar., sp. nov. (Figs. 1a-d) Coloniae effusae, atrae. Mycelium superficial et immersum in substrato. Conidiophora macronemata, mononemata, erecta, recta, simplex, undulatus, laevia, brunnea, apice inflato, usque 5 µm, stipites 450-600 µm longus, ad basim 10-12.5 µm latus, ad apicem 2.5-3.5 µm. Cellulae conidiogenae monophialidicae, discretae, determinatae, brunnaea, lageniformes, 8-10 x 2.2 -3 µm. Conidia aggregate, unicellularia, curtus ellipsoidea, laevia, hyalina, 4.5-5 x 2.5-3 µm. black. Colonies on the natural substratum effuse, Mycelium superficial and immersed. Conidiophores macronematous, mononematous, erect, straight or slightly flexuous, un-branched, wavy or zigzag towards the apex, smooth, brown, arising from 24 robust rhizoids, inflated at the apex (up to 5 µm), bearing conidiogenous cells, stipe 450-600 µm long, 1012.5 µm wide at base, 2.5-3.5 µm wide at the apex. Conidiogenous cells 5-7, monophialidic, discrete, determinate, smooth, pale brown, lageniform, straight or somewhat curved if at the periphery of a cluster, with indistinct collarettes, 8-10 x 2.2-3 µm. Conidia aggregated in slimy heads, non-septate, hyaline, smooth walled, short cylindric, rounded at the ends, 4.5-5 x 2.53 µm. Holotype. On dead fallen leaf of Acacia auriculiformis, from Bhadrachalam forest, Andhra Pradesh, India. Collected on Jan 21, 2010, by D Nagaraju. Holotype in IARI, New Delhi, HCIO No. 50146. Six species viz, C. capensis (M.J. Wingf. and P.S. van Wyk) M. Kolařík (Kolařík and Hulcr 2009), C. cecropiae M. Kolařík (Kolařík and Hulcr 2009), C. proteae (Wingf et al) M. Kolařík (Kolařík and Hulcr 2009), C. olivacea Stolk, Hennebert and Klopotek (Stolk and Hennebert 1968), C. suidafricana MorganJones and Sinclair (Morgan-Jones and Sinclair 1980) and C. undulatispora Pinnoi (Pinnoi et al 2003) are recognized in Custingophora. Only two species viz, C. suidafricana and C. undulatispora have wavy or zigzag conidiophores towards the apex. C. lignicola differs from these two species in having longer conidiophores (450-600 x 10-12.5 µm) and short cylindric and smaller conidia (4.5-5 x 2.5-3 µm), hence the erection of C. lignicola as a new species is justified. J Mycol Pl Pathol, Vol. 41, No.1, 2011 7 J Mycol Pl Pathol, Vol. 41, No.1, 2011 8 Table 1. Salient characters of Chaetopsina species Taxa Conidia, shape, size (µm) Conidiogenous cells (µm) Septa Chaetopsina acutispora Zucconi & Rambelli C. alexandrae Joanne E. Taylor, K.D. Hyde Acerose, often slightly curved, 6-9 x1.5-2.5 0 Lageniform, subhyaline, 47x3-4.5 Fusiform, 9-12x2.5-3 0 C. aubernensis Morgan-Jones Fusiform, 4-8x0.5-1 0 C. catenulata Samuels C. fulva Rambelli Oblong, in chains, 12-16x2.53.5 Cylindrical, in parallel packages, 7-14x1.6-2 Cylindrical to cylindrofusoid or ellipsoidal, often in obliquely parallel mass, 5-8x2-2.5 Reniform to oblong, 10.612.3x2.3-4.1 0-1 Subulate to cylindrical, pale orange brown to hyaline, 26-44x2.5-3 Ampulliform to lageniform, brown to subhyaline, 2.5-3 wide Subulate, hyaline, ca. 25x45 Ampulliform-cylindrical, light brown, 7-11x3-4 In parallel packages, 3-5x1.22.5 Cylindrical to broadly fusiform, 12-16x1.5-2.5, single setula at each end 9-11x1.3-1.5 0 C. hongkongensis Goh & K.D. Hyde C. illini (J.L. Crane) M.J. Wingf. C. ivoriensis Rambelli & Lunghini C. keniensis P.M. Kirk C. ludoviciana J.L. Crane & Schokn. C. melitolunae Crous & Seifert C. nimbae Rambelli 0 0 Ampulliform to subulate, hyaline, 6-42x2.5-3 0 Flask shaped, hyaline, 9.414.1 x2.9-4.7 Globose-ampulliform, dark brown Cylindrical to lageniform, 12-18x2.5-3.5 0 0-1 Apex fertile - Fertile setae Sterile branches - + - + - Radiating sterile lateral branches - - - + - Sterile, forked - - - - 9-12 branches in a whorl, fertile + Cylindrical - Cylindrical, 11-17x1.5-3 0 Ampulliform, 8-13x3-4 - Rod shaped, 11-16x2-2.5 0 Ampulliform to lageniform, hyaline - C. penicillata Samuels C. polyblastica Samuels C. ramifera Matsush. Elliptical to sub fusoid, 9.422.3 Oblong to elliptical, 7-9x2.5-3 0 + - 0 0 Branched + - - Narrowly clavate, 8-12, 1-1.5 Cylindrical to ampulliform, 10-15x3-4 Cylindrical, hyaline, 1220x2.5-3 Cylindrical, brown, 57x2.5-3.5 C. romantica Rambelli & Lunghini Cylindrical, 7-9x1.5-2 0 C. splendida B. Sutton & Hodges C. unilateralis P.M. Kirk 9.5-12x1.5 0 Falcate, 22-27x0.5-0.8 0 C. virtuosa Rambelli & Lunghini C. microspora sp. nov. Falcate, 20.5-34.5x2-2.5 Cylindro-fusoid, base narrowed, 3.5-5 (-6.5) x1.3-2.5 0-1 0 Ampulliform to hour glass shaped, sub-hyaline to pale yellowish, 7-18x2-2.5 Cylindrical Sterile or fertile Branches fertile - 3-6 sterile lateral branches - - + Lageniform, arising on only one side of conidiophore, 10-14x3.5-4.5 Cylindrical - - - - Clavate, subhyaline, 3.7-4.5x1.3-2 - - J Mycol Pl Pathol, Vol. 41, No.1, 2011 Key to the species of Custingophora 1. Conidiophores raight ………………...2 1. Conidiophores wavy/zigzag towards the apex .…………..……5 2. 2. 3. Conidia 2-3x1-1.5 µm; conidiogenous cells 6.5-10x2-2.5 µm …….. C. olivacea Conidia larger ……………………….. 3 3. Conidiogenous cells single or 2-4; conidia 7-12.5x2.5-3.5 µm .….. C. cecropiae Conidiogenous cells more...…………. 4 4. Stipe 33-93 µm; conidiogenous 5. cells 6.5-13x4-7 µm .…...…. C. capensis Stipe 69-198x7-10 µm; conidiogenous 5. 5. 6. 6. cells 6-10x5-6 µm ..…….……… C. proteae Stipe up to 230 µm long; conidia oblong, 5-8x2-2.5 µm ……. C. suidafricana Stipe longer 6 Stipe 210-520 µm long; conidia ellipsoid, 6-8.5x2.5-4 µm .. C. undulatispora Stipe 450-600 µm long; conidia short cylindric, 4.5-5x2.5-3 µm.…….. C. lignicola Chaetopsina indica Nagaraju, Kunwar, Sureshk. et Manohar., sp. nov. (Fig. 1e-f). Coloniae effusae, dull brunneae, lucentes, pilosae. Mycelium superficial et immersum in substrato. Conidiophors macronemata, mononemata, setiformia, erecta, recta, brunneae, laevis, septatis, crassiparies, apicem sterilis, 180-225 x 4.5-8 µm. Cellulae conidiogenae discretae, determinatae, clavatus, tenuisparies, subhyaline, 3.5-4.5 x 1.3-2 µm. Conidia solitaria, aseptata, hyaline, laevia, cylindro-fusoidea, 3.5-5 (-6.5) x 1.3-2.5 µm. Colonies effuse, dull brown, glistening, hairy. Mycelium partly superficial partly immersed; superficial mycelium composed of pale brown, branched, septate hyphae. Stroma none. Setae absent but conidiophores setiform; hyphopodia absent. Conidiophores macronematous, mononematous, erect, straight, brown, smooth, thick walled, septate, apex sterile, setiform, 180-225 x 4.5-8 µm, fertile area covering about half of conidiophore length. Conidiogenous cells monophialidic, discrete, determinate, clavate, thin walled, subhyaline, borne directly on conidiophores, 3.5-4.5x1.3-2 µm. Conidia cylindro-fusoid with base narrowed, aseptate, smooth, hyaline, up to 4 conidia attached to one conidiogenous cell, 3.5-5 (-6.5) x1.3-2.5 µm. Holotype. On dead fallen fruit of Albizia lebbeck, from Bhadrachalam forest, Andhra Pradesh, India. Collected 9 on Dec 20, 2009, by D Nagaraju. Holotype in IARI, New Delhi, HCIO No. 50145. The distinctive characters of this species are the clavate conidiogenous cells borne directly on the setose conidiophore and small cylindro-fusoid conidia narrower at basal end. A comparative analysis (Table 1) of the main characters of the species of Chaetopsina was made (Rambelli 1956; Matsushima 1971; Sutton and Hodges 1976; Rambelli and Lunghini 1976, 1979; Morgan-Jones 1979; Crane and Schoknecht 1982; Kirk 1985; Samuels 1985; Wingfield 1987; Merli et al 1992; Zucconi and Rambelli 1993; Crous et al 1996; Goh and Hyde 1997; Taylor and Hyde 2003). The apex is fertile in C. alexandrae (Taylor and Hyde 2003), C. catenulata (Samuels 1985), C. hongkongensis (Goh and Hyde 1997), C. penicillata, C. polyblastica (Samuels 1985) and C. romantica (sterile/fertile) (Rambelli and Lunghini 1979). In contrast, it is sterile in C. microspora. The setae bear sterile branches in C. aubernensis (radiating branches) (Morgan-Jones 1979), C. ramifera (Matsushima 1971) and C. splendida (Sutton and Hodges 1976). The branches are fertile in C. keniensis (Kirk 1985), and C. melitolunae (Crous et al 1996), whereas in C. indica there is no branching. The size of conidia comes closest to C. ivoriensis (Rambelli and Lunghini 1976) where they are in parallel packages measuring 3-5 x 1.2-2.5 µm, and conidiogenous cells are globose-ampulliform, dark brown while in C. indica conidia are not in parallel packages, measure 3.5-5 (-6.5) x 1.3-2.5 µm, and conidiogenous cells are clavate, subhyaline. Thus by comparing with other species C. indica is found to be different from other known species and hence described as a new species. Acknowledgements The authors are grateful to Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India for financial support. References Crane JL and Schoknecht JD. 1982. 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