Bisifusarium lovelliae Y. P. Tan

Bisifusarium lovelliae Y.P. Tan et al., Index of Australian Fungi 5: 1. 2023. Fig. 8. Aerial conidiophores up to 20 µm long, mostly reduced to simple,lateral phialidic pegs on aerial and substrate mycelium, rarely erect and simple and proliferating subterminally. Aerial phialides monophialidic, mostly reduced to phialidic pegs or subcylindrical, 1.6–16.5 × 1.5–4.5 µm, smooth- and thin-walled, without apical collarette. Aerial microconidia ellipsoidal to broadly ellipsoidal, slightly curved to straight, 0(–1)-septate, hyaline, smooth- and thin-walled, (4–)5–10.5(–17) × 1.5– 4 µm. Sporodochia pale to bright pinkish orange, formed abundantly on the surface and proximity of carnation leaves. Sporodochial conidiophores up to 45 µm long, laterally and irregularly branched, bearing single lateral or 1–3 terminal conidiogenous cells. Sporodochial conidiogenous cells monophialidic, subulate to subcylindrical, (6–)9–13.5(–17) × 2.5–4.5 µm, smooth- and thin-walled without apical collarette. Sporodochial macroconidia falcate, dorsiventrally curved and tapering towards both ends, apical cell blunt to pointy, basal cell papillate to barely foot-like, (0–)1–2(–3)-septate, hyaline, smooth- and thin-walled, (14.5–)18.0–21.5(–23.7) × (2.5–)3.0–4.0(–5) µm. Chlamydospores terminal or intercalary on mycelium, solitary or in chains, subglobose to doliiform, smooth- and thick-walled, 4.5–9 µm diam. Culture characteristics: Colonies in the dark for 7 d at 25 °C: on OA reaching 5.5–6 cm diam., surface and reverse pale apricot to amber, flat, with scarce aerial mycelium, margin entire and regular. Colonies on PDA reaching 6.4–6.6 cm diam., surface and reverse saffron to luteous, flat, with scarce aerial mycelium, margin entire and regular. Colonies on SNA reaching 5.4–5.8 cm diam., flat, nearly transparent to pale luteous at centre, margin entire and regular. Typus: Australia, Queensland, Whyanbeel, on Epipremnum pinnatum leaf spot, 9 May 2022, Y.P. Tan, M.D.E. Shivas & R.G. Shivas (holotype BRIP 75047 a, a metabolically inactive culture, culture ex-type BRIP 75047 a = CBS 150777). Additional materials examined: Thailand, Loei Province, from banana grove, before 11 Jan. 1983, unknown collector, culture CBS 110145 = FRC E-0167; from soil in banana grove, before 11 Jan. 1983, unknown collector, cultures CBS 110307 = FRC E-0173 = NRRL 36180, CBS 110308 = FRC E-0177 = NRRL 36181. Notes: Bisifusarium lovelliae was originally assigned to Fusarium sp. 2 by Schroers et al. (2009) and recently described based only on differences in unique nucleotide positions (Tan & Shivas 2023a). The species is described and illustrated here based on the ex-type strain (CBS 150777, Fig. 8). Phylogenetically, B. lovelliae is resolved within a fully supported clade that also includes B. delphinoides, B. nectrioides and the undescribed lineage Bisifusarium sp. 1; all these taxa are characterized by predominantly 2-septate macroconidia. Apart from their chlamydospores and aerial phialides having different sizes, B. lovelliae can be distinguished from all its sibling species by the presence of distinct, regularly curved macroconidia. This is in comparison to asymmetrical macroconidia of B. delphinoides, B. nectrioides and Bisifusarium sp. 1, which are more pronouncedly curved toward the apex, resulting in slightly hooked distal ends (Schroer et al. 2009).