Genus

Didymosphaeria

Species

lignomaris

Author

Strongman & J.D. Mill., Proceedings of the Nova Scotia Institute of Sciences 35 (3-4): 102 (1986).

Class

Dothideomycetes, Subclass Pleosporomycetidae

Order

Pleosporales

Family

Didymosphaeriaceae

Synonymy:

Description

Didymosphaeria Fuckel, 1870. Jahrb. Nassau. Ver. Naturkd., 23-24: 140.

Type species:

Didymosphaeria epidermidis (Fr.) Fuckel, Jahrbücher des Nassauischen Vereins für Naturkunde 23-24: 140 (1870)

Marine Didymosphaeria species:

Didymosphaeria lignomaris Strongman & J.D. Mill., Proceedings of the Nova Scotia Institute of Sciences 35 (3-4): 102 (1986).

Sexual morph., saprobic on wood. Ascomata: 225-250 µm high, 220-313 µm in diam., subglobose, partly or totally immersed, ostiolate, papillate, black. Necks: 35 µm high, 100-120 mm in diam., ostiolar canal 30-45 µm in diam. Pseudoparaphyses: 1-2 um in diam., filiform, attached at both ends. Asci: 120-135 µm long, 8-spored, cylindrical, bitunicate, thick-walled, without apical apparatus, developing in a layer at the base of the ascomata venter. Ascospores: 25-26 x 10-12 µm, uniseriate, ellipsoidal, 1-septate in the middle, constricted at the septum, finely echinulate, thick-walled, thickenings around the apices, dark around the septum. Asexual morph: Undetermined (Description: Based on Strongman et al. (1985)).

Key references:

Ananda K, Sridhar KR (2002) Diversity of filamentous fungi on decomposing leaf and woody litter of mangrove forest in Southwest coast of India. Current Science 10: 14312-1437.

Aptroot A (1995) A monograph of Didymosphaeria. Studies in Mycology 37: 1-160.

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.

Prasannarai K, Sridhar KR (2001) Diversity and abundance of higher marine fungi on woody substrates along the west coast of India. Current Science 81: 304-311.

Strongman DB, Miller JD, Whitney NJ (1985) Lignicolous marine fungi from Prince Edward Island with a description of Didymosphaeria lignomaris sp. nov. Proceedings of the Nova Scotia Institute of Sciences. 35(3-4):99-105.

Type & Location:

Other Specimens:

Substratum:

saprophytic on intertidal wood.

Habitat:

Distribution:

Canada, India.

Pertinent Literature:

Comments:

NOTES: Currently Didymosphaeria lignomaris is the only marine species documented in the literature and has not been widely reported. Prasannarai & Sridhar (2001) and Ananda & Sridhar (2004) have reported it from the West coast, Goa, India on intertidal wood, intertidal leaves and woody litter. It is listed in Jones et al. (2015), but is a doubtful species and further collections are required along with sequence data to determine it relationship in the Pleosporales. Aptroot (1995) monographed the genus Didymosphaeria with 550 described names, but only accepted 7 species. Didymosphaeria lignommaris was considered miss-placed.

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