Circumfusicillium cavernae gen. et sp. nov. (Bionectriaceae, Hypocreales) Isolated from a Hypogean Roman Cryptoporticus

Abstract

Stone monuments and relics are prone to biodeterioration processes prompted by microbial proliferation and activity. Among the distinct microbes capable of stone colonization, fungi are known to strongly contribute to stone biodeterioration. During the ongoing efforts aiming to study fungi thriving in dolomitic limestone walls of the Coimbra’s hypogean Roman cryptoporticus (Portugal), two unknown Bionectriaceae isolates were retrieved. The aim of this work was to depict the molecular and phenotypic characteristics of these microorganisms. The phylogenetic analyses revealed that the studied strains could not be assigned to any of the currently known Bionectriaceae genera. Moreover, the isolates exhibited distinctive and peculiar characteristics, such as the packing of conidia by surrounding hyphal segments and the formation of rope-like microsclerotia with a textura globose. Taking into account all the data obtained, a novel genus and species, Circumfusicillium cavernae gen. et sp. nov. in Bionectriaceae (Hypocreales), is proposed here.

Degradation of wheat straw/polylactic acid composites with and without sodium alginate in natural soil and the effects on soil microorganisms

“…Bionectriaceae mainly includes Bionectria apocyni , Bionectria oblongispora , Bionectria pseudostriata , and Bionectria Sesquicillii , and so forth. Bionectriaceae are mainly parasitic or saprophytic on dead branches and leaves, 45 even some Bionectriaceae can degrade stones 46 . The results indicated that Bionectriaceae could consume PLA composites as the carbon sources.…”

Uncovering the Fungal Diversity Colonizing Limestone Walls of a Forgotten Monument in the Central Region of Portugal by High-Throughput Sequencing and Culture-Based Methods

“…Nutrient-rich media, such as PDA, tend to favor common fungal generalists that grow rapidly, often outgrowing more specialized species, and although they are com- From the 36 identified species, Acremonium alternatum, Arthrinium marii, Aspergillus conicus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Cladosporium dominicanum, Cladosporium floccosum, Cyphellophora olivaceae, Hansfordia pulvinata, Microascus cirrosus, Microscypha sp., Neophysalospora eucalypti, Penicillium corylophilum, Penicillium echinulatum, Penicillium olsonii, Phlebiopsis gigantea, Stachybotrys chartarum, Talaromyces purpureogenus, Toxicocladosporium irritans and Ustilago cynodontis are first reports, not only for Ançã limestone monuments, but for limestone monuments in general [37,62]. Additionally, this is the first time that Aeminium ludgeri and Circumfusicillium cavernae, two newly described species of Portuguese heritage, have been detected and isolated from a new different site (Figure S1) [63,64].…”

“…The following supporting information can be downloaded at https: //www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/app122010650/s1, Table S1: Identification of all fungal isolates retrieved in this study. Figure S1: Isolates of two newly described species (a) Circumfusicillium cavernae (Bionectriaceae), (b) C. cavernae colony in detail and (c) Aeminium ludgeri (Aeminiaceae), (d) A. ludgeri colony appearance after starting maturing, on PDA, first described in deteriorated limestone in Coimbra (Portugal) and isolated in the present study [63,64]. Institutional Review Board Statement: Not applicable.…”