Genus

Halazoon

Species

melhae

Author

Abdel-Aziz, Abdel-Wahab & Nagah., Mycol. Progr. 9(4): 546 (2010)

Class

Sordariomycetes, Subclass Lulworthiomycetidae

Order

Lulworthiales

Family

Lulworthiaceae

Synonymy:

Description

Halazoon Abdel-Aziz, Abdel-Wahab & Nagah., Mycol. Progr. 9: 545 (2010)

Type species:

Halazoon melhae Abdel-Aziz, Abdel-Wahab & Nagah., Mycol. Progr. 9(4): 546 (2010)

Asexual morph: saprobic, hyphae 2.5-4 μm in diameter, septate, branched, hyaline. Conidiophores present or obsolete, when present are 30-50 μm long, 3-5 μm in diameter, micronematous, 0-3 septate, hyaline, cylindrical. Conidiogensis is holoblastic. Conidia 35-125×23-58 μm, terminal or lateral, forming single coil or branched to form two to three coils, coiled in two or three dimensions, semi-contorted up to 6 coils, conidial filament 7-15 μm in diameter, 6- to 26-septate, constricted at the septa, reddish brown in colour, conidial filament diameter and pigmentation generally increase from base to apex. Apical cell 8-38×5-15 μm, subglobose, curved to reniform in shape with truncate base, reddish brown; median cells 10-25×5-11 μm, clavate, cylindrical, subglobose, curved or helicoid, yellow-brown to brown. Sexual morph: Undetermined (Description based on Abdel-Wahab et al. (2010)).

Key references:

Campbell J, Volkmann-Kohlmeyer B, Gräfenhan T, Spataofora JW, Kohlmeyer J (2005) A re-evaluation of Lulworthiales: relationships based on 18S and 28S rDNA. Mycological Research 109:556-568.

Jones EBG, Suetrong S, Sakayaroj J, Bahkali AH, Abdel-Wahab MA, Boekhout T, Pang KL (2015) Classification of marine Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Blastocladiomycota and Chytridiomycota. Fungal Diversity 73: 1-72.

Maharachchikumbura SSN, Hyde KD, Jones EBG, Mckenzie EHC, Huang SK, Abdel-Wahab MA et al. (2015) Towards a natural classification and backbone tree for Sordariomycetes. Fungal Diversity 72: 199-299.

Nakagiri A (1984) Two new species of Lulworthia and evaluation of genera-delimiting characters between Lulworthia and Lindra (Halosphaeriaceae). Transactions of the Mycological Society of Japan 25:377-388.

Type & Location:

Other Specimens:

Substratum:

On decayed drift stems of Phragmites australis

Habitat:

Distribution:

Egypt.

Pertinent Literature:

Comments:

NOTES: Halazoon melhae is reminiscent of Zalerion maritima, but it differs by having larger conidia (35–125×23–58 μm vs.14–35 μm for H. melhae and Z. maritima, respectively) and more coils (0.5-6 coils vs 1-3 coils in H. melhae and Z. maritima, respectively). The conidial colour in H. melhae is reddish brown, while it is dark-brown to black in Z. maritima. Lulwoana uniseptata is the sexual morph of Z. maritima and confirmed by culture studies and rDNA sequences (Nakagiri 1984, Cambpell et al. 2005). The genus is accepted in the Lulworthiaceae (Lulworthiales) by Jones et al. (2015) and Maharachchikumbura et al. (2015).

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