Lanspora dorisauae a new marine fungus from rocky shores in Taiwan

Abstract

This article reports a new marine fungus Lanspora dorisauae (Phomatosporales Sordariomycetes Ascomycota) on trapped wood collected in coastal sites of Taiwan. This new fungus was subjected to a morphological examination and a phylogenetic study based on a combined analysis of the 18S 28S ITS rDNA TEF1-a and RPB2 genes. Lanspora dorisauae is characterized by dark-coloured ascomata with a short neck periphysate ostioles subclavate deliquescing asci without an apical ring presence of wide paraphyses striated wall ascospores with crown-like appendages on one pole of the ascospores. Phylogenetically L. dorisauae grouped with Lanspora coronata (type species) with strong support. Lanspora coronata lacks paraphyses and appendages occur on both ends of the ascospores while paraphyses are present and ascospore appendage is unipolar in L. dorisauae. Lanspora cylindrospora formed a sister clade with L. coronata and L. dorisauae but it significantly differs in morphology with the latter two species in having cylindrical asci with an apical J-ring smooth ascospore wall and no ascospore appendages and may be better referred to a new genus. Lanspora together with Phomatospora and Tenuimurus belong to the Phomatosporaceae Phomatosporales. Phomatospora berkeleyi should be sequenced to test the validity of the order Phomatosporales and the family Phomatosporaceae. Copyright 2023 Pang et al.