Introducing Melanocucurbitaria uktampratovii sp. nov. and the sexual morph of Melanocamarosporioides ugamica in Melanommataceae (Dothideomycetes, Pleosporales)
Abstract
Most species of Melanommataceae are saprobic on decayed parts of various plants in tropical and temperate terrestrial habitats. During a survey of microfungi associated with terrestrial plants in Uzbekistan, two melanommataceous taxa were collected from dead branches of Rosa ecae (Rosaceae) and Salvia karelinii (Lamiaceae). This study introduces a new species, Melanocucurbitaria uktampratovii , and provides a new host and sexual morph record for Melanocamarosporioides ugamica , based on morphological observations and multi-gene phylogenetic analyses of concatenated LSU, SSU, ITS, and TEF-1 sequence data. Melanocucurbitaria uktampratovii is the second species described within this genus and differs from the type species of Melanocucurbitaria in having smaller ascomata, smaller asci, smaller ascospores, and a different number of septa. The sexual morph of Melanocamarosporioides ugamica is characterized by globose to ovoid ascomata, cylindrical-clavate asci, ellipsoidal, muriform ascospores with 5–7 transversely septate, and 5–11 vertical septa. Illustrations and descriptions are provided, along with ecological and morphological comparisons of similar species within their respective genera.