Coniochaeta ershadii, a new species from Iran, and a key to well-documented Coniochaeta species

Abstract

With 1 figure Asgari, B., R. Zare & W. Gams (2007): Coniochaeta ershadii, a new species from Iran, and a key to well-documented Coniochaeta species. -Nova Hedwigia 84: 175-187.Abstract: A new species of Coniochaeta from dead pistachio twigs, C. ershadii, is described from Varamin district, Tehran Province. C. ershadii differs from the similar C. gamsii by possessing smaller ascocarps covered with setae, a peridium with an irregular texture, longer and narrower asci, shorter ascospores, and by producing numerous crystals when cultivated on Leonian agar and other media. It is particularly distinguished by its ascospores with protruding ends up to 1.7-2.5 μm long. The conidiophores of the nodulisporium-like anamorph of C. ershadii produce 2-3 conidiogenous loci and cylindrical blastoconidia with attenuated bases. A dichotomous key for identification of 54 sufficiently documented Coniochaeta species is provided.

Coniochaeta prunicola — first record for Slovakia and Europe

“…The key provided in [10] suggests identifying our results as Coniochaeta velutina, but cultures of this species turn dark and ascospores in comparison of Coniochaeta prunicola are smaller and have guttules. Review of the literature [18] and [12] shows that this fact is in accordance with our results.…”

“…The identification was performed according to morphological keys [10,[14][15][16][17] and other reference guides [4][5][6]12]. …”

“…Cooke genus is recognised as a large and highly diversified ascomycetous genus with non-stromatic, globose or subglobose short-necked perithecia with broad ostiole [6]. Species of the genus Coniochaeta and their Lecythophora anamorphs occur on various substrates and media: in plants (wood, bark, leaves leaf litter), animal faeces, soil and in a trongly acidic water with high heavy metal concentrations [7][8][9][10]. Some Coniochaeta species have significant biochemical properties.…”

New record of the fungus Coniochaeta prunicola on peaches from Slovakia

“…Species of the genus Coniochaeta and their Lecythophora anamorphs occur on different plant material: on wood or bark of different trees, on leaves and leaf litter (Kale 1967;Rao 1970;Mahoney & LaFavre 1981;van der Linde 1991;Yuan & Mohammed 1997), on dung of various animals (Mahoney & LaFavre 1981;Richardson 1998), on soil (Mahoney & LaFavre 1981;Kamiya et al 1995) and in water with extremely low pH and high concentrations of heavy metals (Eriksson 1992;Kamiya et al 1995;López-Archilla et al 2004;Asgari et al 2007). Some Coniochaeta species have been found to exhibit useful biochemical properties.…”

“…The identification was performed using morphological keys according to Hawksworth & Yip (1981), Ellis & Ellis (1987), Checa et al (1988), Romero et al (1999), Asgari et al (2007) and morphological studies in Mahoney & LaFavre (1981), Hanlin (1990), Weber (2002) and Damm et al (2010).…”