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Original paper
Endoantria benetecta (Hypocreales) – anew perianthicolous ascomycete on Lejeunea patens in Britishtemperate rainforests
Greiff, George R. L.; Döbbeler, Peter
Nova Hedwigia Band 119 Heft 3-4 (2024), p. 351 - 367
38 references
published: Dec 12, 2024
published online: Jul 11, 2024
manuscript accepted: Jun 7, 2024
manuscript revision received: Jun 4, 2024
manuscript revision requested: May 3, 2024
manuscript received: Mar 6, 2024
DOI:10.1127/nova_hedwigia/2024/0964
ArtNo. ESP050011903009, Price: 29.00 €
Abstract
Endoantria benetecta Greiff & Döbbeler (Hypocreales,familia incertae sedis), gen. et sp. nov., is a newparasitic ascomycete on the liverwort Lejeunea patens fromhyperoceanic rainforest habitats in Scotland and Wales. Endoantriabenetecta develops single, reddish-orange, globose peritheciaspecifically in the apices of host perianths. The smooth-walled, one-septateascospores of the fungus are liberated through perforation of the perianth wallor by forced expansion of the natural opening of the perianth apex.Inconspicuous sporodochial conidiomata with one-celled, tiny conidia frequentlydevelop on the inner and outer perianth surface. Hyphae grow in thenutrient-rich junction zone between the gametophyte and sporophyte,intercellularly within the sporophytic tissue, and in the space between calyptraand perianth. Host sporophytes cease their development, failing to undergonormal sporogenesis. Endoantria benetecta is the tenthperianth-inhabiting species of fungi currently known, and the first one on anon-tropical lejeuneaceous host. These highly adapted sex-specific fungi sharemany features, such as affiliation to the Hypocreales, the formation ofinconspicuous compact conidiomata with phialo-conidia (in many species), and aunique lifestyle expressed by a combination of bio- and necrotrophic features ofthe same mycelium on the same host plant. Newly generated molecular data suggestthat E. benetecta and another perianthicolous fungus,Periantria frullaniae, are closely related, but are notcongeneric with other sequenced bryophilous Hypocreales likeBryocentria (Bionectriaceae).
Keywords
bryophilous •hepaticolous •microniche •reduced host fertility •sex specificity