Genus

Helicascus

Species

kanaloanus

Author

Kohlm., 1969b. Can. J. Bot.., 47: 1471.

Class

Dothideomycetes, Subclass Dothideomycetidae

Order

Pleosporales

Family

Morosphaeriaceae

Synonymy:

Description

Helicascus Kohlm., Canadian Journal of Botany 47 (9): 1471 (1969)

Type species:

Helicascus kanaloanus Kohlm., 1969b. Can. J. Bot.., 47: 1471.

Index Fungorum number: Faceoffungi number:

Sexual morph: saprobic, ascostromata: 0.6-0.78 mm high, 1.25-2.75 mm wide, lenticular, immersed, black, carbonaceous, enclosing 3-4(-5) loculi, covered by a pseudoclypeus. Ascomata: 235-270 µm high, 440-800 µm long, depressed ampulliform, united radially into valsoid groups, horizontally arranged under a black pseudoclypeus; ostioles 70-170 µm in diam., united into a common, central pore, stromatic tissue around the loculi composed of more or less isodimetric cells, at the periphery composed of vertically arranged, longitudinal cells; pseudoclypeus composed of host cells enclosed in black fungal hyphae partitions between loculi formed of brown, isodimetric or elongated cells. Necks: 270-435 µm high, 255-300 µm in diam., canal filled with periphyses. Hamathecium: hyphae-like, numerous, persistent, filamentous, anastomosing. Asci: 250-335 x 25-30 µm, 8-spored, subcylindrical, finally oblong clavate, pedunculate, bitunicate, thick-walled, apically multilayered, with an ocular chamber; at maturity endoascus swelling in water and becoming coiled, finally stretching and pushing the ascus into the ostiolar canal. Ascospores: 30-55 x 17-25 µm, uniseriate, 1-septate, obovoidal, unequally two celled, highly constricted at the septum, dark brown, sometimes at one or both ends apiculate with a deliquescing sheath (Description: Based on Kohlmeyer & Kohlmeyer (1979) and Hyde (1991)).

Key references:

Borse BD, Bhat DJ, Borse KN, Tuwas AR, Pawar NS (2012). Marine Fungi of India. Broadway Book Centre, India.

Hyde, K.D. 1991. Helicascus kanaloanus, H. nypae sp. nov. and Salsuginea ramicola gen. et sp. nov. from intertidal mangrove wood. Botanica Marina. 34(4):311-318

Hyde KD, Jones EBG, Ariyawansha H, Liu JK, Binder M, Jayawardene N, Boehm E, Boonmee S et al. (2013). Families of Dothideomycetes. Fungal Diversity 63: 1-313.

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.

Kohlmeyer, J. 1969. Marine fungi of Hawaii including the new genus Heliascus. Canadian Journal of Botany. 47(9):1469-1487

Preedanon, S; Klaysuban, A; Suetrong, S; Promchoo, W; Gundool, W; Sangtiean, T; Sakayaroj, J. 2017. Helicascus mangrovei sp. nov., a new intertidal mangrove fungus from Thailand. Mycoscience. 58(3):174-180

Schmit JP, Shearer CA (2003). A checklist of mangrove associated fungi. Mycotaxon 80: 423-477.

Suetrong S, Schoch CL, Spatafora JW, Kohlmeyer J, Volkmann-Kohlmeyer B, Sakayaroj J, Phongpaichit S, Tanaka K, Hirayama K, Jones EBG. (2009). Molecular systematics of the marine Dothideomycetes. Studies in Mycology 64: 155-173.

Wijayawardene NN, CVrous PW, Kirk PM, Hawskworth DL, Boonme S, et al. (2014). Naming and outline of Dothideomycetes-2014, including proposals for the protection of generic names. Fungal Diversity 69:1-55.

Zhang Y, Crous PW, Schooch CL, Hyde KD (2012). Pleosporales. Fungal Diversity 53:1-221

Key to marine Helicascus species:

Found on the brackish water palm Nypa................................................................................................................................ H. nypae

Found mangrove wood.................................................................................................................................................................. 2

Ascospores dark brown, two-layered, 36.5-48.5 x 18-22.5 µm......................................................................................... H. kanaloanus

Ascospores hyaline to pale brown, 40-45 x 18.5-20 µm.................................................................................................... H. mangrovei

Type & Location:

Other Specimens:

Substratum:

on submerged and intertidal mangrove wood.

Habitat:

Distribution:

Brunei, Hawaii, India, Malaysia, Maldives, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand.

Pertinent Literature:

Comments:

NOTES: Helicascus kanaloanus was originally described from Rhizophora mangle wood, Oahu, Hawaii by Kohlmeyer (1969) and has subsequently been commonly found in tropical mangroves (Schmit & Shearer 2003, Alias & Jones 2011, Jones et al. 200?). The genus Helicascus differ from Salsuginea mainly in the morphology of the fruiting body and ascospores. The collections named as this fungus from India belong to Salsuginea ramicola (see references in Borse et al. 2012). Ten Helicascus species have been described from aquatic habitats, including H. kanaloanus, H. mangrovei, H. nypae, and all group in the Morosphaeriacea (Pleopsorales) (Suetrong etal. 2009, Zhang et al. 2012, Wijayawardene et al. 2014, Preedanon et al. 2017). The seven freshwater Heliascus form a sister clade to the marine species (Preedanon et al. 2017). The genus is accepted by Hyde et al. (2013) and Jones et al. (2015).

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