First European record of Penicillium coccotrypicola (Aspergillaceae), a synnematous, palm seed parasite reported from the Maltese Islands

This research documents a synnematous, coralloid species of Penicillium collected on fallen seeds of Washingtonia filifera s.l. in the Maltese Islands. Successful cultivation and molecular analysis, specifically employing ITS4 sequencing, enabled precise taxonomic attribution to Penicillium coccotrypicola. First identified in 2014 from infected seeds of the palm Archontophoenix cunninghamiana in eastern Australia, this species remains relatively obscure and insufficiently documented, particularly within Europe, as its presence has so far only been recorded in Australia and New Zealand. Comprehensive descriptions of the fungus are provided, encompassing macroscopic and microscopic morphological features, growth characteristics on various culture media, and ecological context within Mediterranean habitats. These findings broaden the known distribution of P. coccotrypicola, here for the first time outside the Australian region, and expand knowledge of its morphology and ecology out of its native range and on a different host.