Bull. Natl. Mus. Nat. Sci., Ser. B, 34(3), pp. 119–126, September 22, 2008

Six Dematiaceous Conidial Fungi New to Japan from Yakushima Island
Hiroaki Yonezawa1, Genki Sato1, Yusuke Hiro2, Kazuaki Tanaka1 and Tsuyoshi Hosoya3
1

Faculty of Agriculture and Life Science, Hirosaki University,
Bunkyo-cho 3, Hirosaki, Aomori, 036–8561, Japan
E-mail: k-tanaka@cc.hirosaki-u.ac.jp
2
Research Center for Pathogenic Fungi and Microbial Toxicoses, Chiba University,
Inohara 1–8–1, Chuo-ku, Chiba, 260–8673, Japan3
Department of Botany, National Museum of Nature and Science,
Amakubo 4–1–1, Tsukuba, 305–0005, Japan
E-mail: hosoya@kahaku.go.jp

Abstract Six anamorphic fungi new to Japan are described and illustrated. They are
Acrogenospora altissima, Bactrodesmium microleucurum, Canalisporium exiguum, Endophragmiella ontariensis, Pestalotiopsis maculiformans and Spadicoides bambusicola. Some taxonomicaland ecological information on these species is briefly noted.
Key words : Coelomycetes, Hyphomycetes, mycobiota, saprophytic fungi, taxonomy.

Introduction
Yakushima Island in southern Japan was registered as the World Heritage Area in 1993, due tovery rich and unique biological diversity. In thecourse of a research program of the National Museum of National and Science (Taxonomic research for plants and fungi in areas with remarkable biodiversity in Japan), we observed 114 fungal taxa (49 taxa of ascomycetes and 65 taxa ofanamorphic fungi) belonging to 90 genera from
Yakushima Island (Tanaka and Hosoya, 2006;
Hosoya and Tanaka, 2007a, 2007b). These collected fungi included several species new toJapanease mycobiota. As to Ascomycota, six
Loculoascomycetes new to Japan were reportedwith taxonomic notes (Tanaka and Hosoya,
2006). In this paper, six anamorphic fungi are described from Japan for the first time, and their information on the habitats is noted.
Materials and Methods
Fungal materials on plant substrata were collected during the exploration in October in 2005.
Some young materials were matured on moist

paper towels in plastic boxes and stored at ambient temperature for one or two weeks. Specimens
were kept in the herbaria of the National Museum of Nature and Science (TNS) and Hirosaki
University (HHUF). Cultures were obtainedusing a Skaerman’s micromanipulator (Skerman,
1968) and were deposited in RIKEN BioResource Center (JCM).
Each fungus was observed and measured with
an Olympus microscope (BX51) equipped with a
Nomarski interference differential contrast objective. In most cases, they were mounted in water,
but sometimes mounted in lactphenol (20 g phenol, 20 g lactic acid, and 40 g glycerol in 20 ml
distilled water) for long-term observations.
Descriptions
1. Acrogenospora altissima (Goid.) Goh, K.
D. Hyde et K. M. Tsui, Mycol. Res. 102: 1310,
1998.
[Figs. 1, 7]
Teleomorph: Farlowiella australis Dennis, Results Norweg. Exped. T. da Cunha 36: 10, 1955.
Colonies effuse, black. Conidiophores darkbrown to black, 7–10-septate, 150–300 m m long,
6–7 m m wide at the base, 4–5 m m wide at the120

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Fig. 1. Acrogenospora altissima (TNS-F-12466). A, Conidiophores and conidia on water agar. B, E, F. Conidia.
C. Conidiophore. D. Apex of conidiophore and conidium. Scales. A, 100 m m; B, C, 30 m m; D–F, 10 m m.

apex, with percurrent proliferations. Conidia
black, broadly ellipsoidal, smooth, non-septate,
42–5229–38 m m (mean 47.634.6 m m, n30),
truncate at the base.
Material examined: TNS-F-12466HHUF
29663 (KT 2065), Shiratani-unsui-kyo, Isl.
Yakushima, Kagoshima Pref., 18-X-2005, on
submerged wood; single conidium culture JCM
15435.
Known distribution: Italy (Goidànich, 1933),
Tristan da Cunha (Ellis, 1972).
Note: Species of Acrogenospora M. B. Ellis
were noted as freshwater fungi in “Genera of
freshwater fungi” (Cai et al., 2006a). Actually,
we collected this fungus on a submerged wood.
Single conidium isolates of A. altissima produced conidia abundantly on water agar (20 gagar, 1000 ml distilled water). However, theteleomorph of this species was not observed innatural substratum and culture condition.
We identified this fungus as A. altissima basedon the conidial dimension of the specimen.
Acrogenospora altissima is similar to A. gigantospora S. Hughes in the conidial size and blackish color of the conidia, but they differ from eachother in the shape of conidia (Goh et al., 1998b).
Goh et al. (1998b) observed that the conidia of
A. altissima are more elongated and slightly narrower than those of A. gigantospora.
2. Bactrodesmium microleucurum (Speg.) M.
B. Ellis, Mycol. Pap. 103: 37, 1965. [Figs. 2, 8]
Teleomorph: Unknown.
Sporodochia scattered, black, punctiform.
Conidiophores short, formed from sporodochia,
fasciculate, usually unbranched, flexuous,
smooth, septate. Conidiogenous cells monoblastic, terminal, cylindrical. Conidia obovate toclavate, 35–4620–28 m m (mean 40.423.7 m m,n30), L/W 1.5–2.1 (mean 1.7, n30), mostly
with 4 (reraly 5) transverse septa with broad
black band, dark brown to black at the upper

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Fig. 2. Bactrodesmium microleucurum (TNS-F-12423). A. Sporodochia on host. B. Immature and mature conidia. C. Conidium. D. Bleached conidium. Scales. A, 200 m m; B, 20 m m; C, D, 10 m m.

cells, subhyaline to pale brown at the lower cells,
truncate at the base (2.5–3.5 m m wide).
Material examined: TNS-F-12423HHUF
29664 (KT 1879), Miyanoura, Isl. Yakushima,
Kagoshima Pref., 19-X-2005, on Phyllostachys
heterocycla var. pubescens stem; single conidium
culture JCM 15433.
Known distribution: Chile (Ellis, 1971), Hong
Kong (Lu et al., 2000).
Note: Bactrodesmium microleucurum could bea rare species as compared to other species of thegenus Bactrodesmium Cooke. Until now, it has
been recorded two times: in Chile from
Chusquea cummingii (Bambusaceae) (Ellis,
1971) and in Hong Kong from a bamboo (Lu etal., 2000). We also obtained this fungus from
culms of Phyllostachys pubescens. Therefore,
this fungus is considered to have high host preference on bamboos. Sometimes, it was difficult
to observe black-banded septa in the conidia of
this fungus, although the presence or absence ofa band is a very important criterion for specificidentification of Bactrodesmium species (Ellis,
1971). We tried to bleach the conidia by a sodium hypochlorite solution, and could detect clearly two black bands from the conidia, after few
minutes (Fig. 2D).

3. Canalisporium exiguum Goh et K. D.
Hyde, Can. J. Bot. 76: 145, 1998.
[Figs. 3, 9]
Teleomorph: Unknown.
Sporodochia scattered, black, punctiform,
minute, granular. Conidiophores formed shortly
from sporodochia, usually unbranched, septate,hyaline to subhyaline, flexuous, smooth. Conidiogenous cells monoblastic, terminal, cylindricalor inflated. Conidia 17–2511–15 m m (mean21.112.7 m m, n30), 8–10 m m thick at side,
L/W 1.3–1.9 (mean 1.7, n30), flattened, ellipsoidal to obovate in surface view, clavate in lateral view, reddish brown to brown, subhyaline topale brown at the basal cell, straight or curved,
with a vertical septum and 3–4 (reraly 5) transverse septa with black band.
Material examined: TNS-F-12450HHUF
29669 (KT 1920), forest road along Awao river,Isl. Yakushima, Kagoshima Pref., 21-X-2005, on
dead leaf of Alpinia speciosa; single conidium
culture JCM 15434.
Known distribution: Australia (Goh et al.,1998a; Hyde and Goh, 1998), Thailand (Samrithipol et al., 2004).
Note: This fungus is easily recognized by themost small-sized conidia in the genus Canalisporium Nawawi et Kuthub. This species is generally
accepted as a freshwater species (Goh et al.,

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Fig. 3. Canalisporium exiguum (TNS-F-12450). A. Sporodochia on host (arrowheads). B. Conidiogenous hyphae and conidia. C. Conidia. D. Bleached conidia. Scales. A, 250 m m; B, 20 m m; C, D, 20 m m.

1998a; Hyde and Goh, 1998), because the firstrecord of C. exiguum was from a submerged
wood in Australia. Recently, the species was reported from Thailand as a seed decay fungus(Samrithipol et al., 2004). We obtained this fungus on a dead leaf of Alpinia speciosa fallen on
the ground. Therefore, C. exiguum probably has
various host plants in the aquatic and terrestrial
environments.
4. Endophragmiella ontariensis S. Hughes,
Fungi Canadenses, Ottawa 128, 1978.
[Figs. 4, 10]
Teleomorph: Unknown.
Colonies effuse, black. Conidiophores brown,
unbranched, 42–523–4 m m, with percurrent
proliferation. Conidia broadly obovoid to oblong,
blastic, 2-euseptate, brown at the 2 upper cells,
pale brown at the basal cell, 18–2310–13 m m(mean 21.111.4 m m, n30).
Material examined: TNS-F-12406HHUF
29673 (KT 1844), Shiratani-unsui-kyo, Isl.
Yakushima, Kagoshima Pref., 18-X-2005, onbark of Stewartia monadelpha. No culture obtained.
Known distribution: Canada (Hughes, 1978b,1979; Matsushima, 1983), China (Wu andZhang, 2005).
Note: We identified the above material as E.
ontariensis (Hughes, 1978b) based on the conidial morphology. This species is similar to E. fallacia P. M. Kirk (1981) in the conidial dimension,
but differs in having obovoid conidia rather thanbroadly ellipsoid to cylindrical conidia. Endphragmiella ontariensis superficially resembles
E. biseptata (Peck) S. Hughes, but the latter haslarger conidia (vs. (21–) 23–3012.6–16.2 (–18)
m m; Hughes, 1978a).
5. Pestalotiopsis maculiformans (Guba et
Zeller) Steyaert, Bull. Jard. Bot. État Brux. 19:
329, 1949.
[Figs. 5, 11]Teleomorph: Unknown.
Conidiomata acervular, scattered, punctiform,
black, subepidermal. Conidiogenous cells, hyaline, smooth, cylindrical. Conidia annellidic,

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Fig. 4. Endophragmiella ontariensis (TNS-F-12406). A. Conidiophores and conidia on host. B. Conidiophore.
C, D. Conidia. Scales. A, 250 m m; B, 30 m m; C, D, 10 m m.

Fig. 5. Pestalotiopsis maculiformans (from culture JCM 15437). A. Hyphae and conidiomata on water agar. B.
Conidiogenous cell and annellide (arrowhead). C. Conidia with three appendages. D. Conidium with two appendages. Scales. A, 500 m m; B, 10 m m; C, D, 30 m m.

fusiform, straight or slightly curved, 20–306–9
m m (mean 23.88.2 m m, n50), 5-celled; apicalcell hyaline, 3–5 m m long, with 3 (rarely 2 or 4)
appendages; 3 median colored cells 13–18 m mlong, olive-green at the lowest cell, blackish olive
at the upper two cells; basal cell hyaline, 3–7 m mlong, with single appendage. Apical appendages
unbranched, flexuous, 15–30 m m long (mean 20.2

m m, n50). Basal appendages unbranched, flexous, 3–7 m m long (mean 5 m m, n50).
Material examined: TNS-F-12408, Shirataniunsui-kyo, Isl. Yakushima, Kagoshima Pref., 18X-2005, on Rhododendron leaf; single conidium
culture JCM 15437.
Known distribution: Widespread in the world.
Note: This fungus has been reported from

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Fig. 6. Spadicoides bambusicola (TNS-F-12425). A. Conidiophores and conidia on host. B. Conidiophores. C.
Pores of conidiophore. D–G. Conidia. Scales. A, 500 m m; B, 30 m m; C–G, 10 m m.

worldwide area including Africa, China (Zhang
et al., 2003) and USA (Guba, 1961). However,there had been no report of P. maculiformans
from Japan. This fungus produced conidia abundantly on water agar. It produced numerous conidiomata-like tar spots on the white-coloredcolonies under culture (Fig. 5A). Colony growth
was very fast; attaining almost 9 cm diamater at
3 days on the water agar.
6. Spadicoides bambusicola D. Q. Zhou, Gohet K. D. Hyde, in Zhou, Goh, Hyde and Vrijmoed,
Fungal Diversity 3: 179, 1999.
[Figs. 6, 12]
Teleomorph: Unknown.
Colonies dense, black to viridescent black.
Conidiophores unbranched, brown to dark brown,
10–14-septate, 145–2653.5–5 m m. Conidiogenous cells polytretic, terminal and lateral.
Conidia clavate, brown to pale brown, verrucose,
5–7-septate, 35–456–8 m m (mean 40.77.3
m m, n30).
Material examined: TNS-F-12425HHUF
29686 (KT 1881), Miyanoura, Isl. Yakushima,

Kagoshima Pref., 19-X-2005, on Phyllostachys
heterocycla var. pubescens stem, single conidium
culture JCM 15436.
Known distribution: Hong Kong (Zhou et al.,1999), China (Cai et al., 2006b).
Note: The genus Spadicoides Hughes is similar to Diplococcium Grove in the conidial ontogeny. They have terminal or intercalary, polytretic conidiogenous cells. Goh and Hyde (1996)
reviewed the genus Spadicoides and distinguished these two genera based on the branchingof conidiophores and catenation of conidia. They
accepted 21 species in Spadicoides (Goh andHyde, 1996). Later, two species were added recently: S. palmicola Goh et K. D. Hyde and S.
heterocolorata (R. F. Castañeda, Guarro et Cano)
Goh et K. D. Hyde (Goh and Hyde, 1998).
Spadicoides bambusicola has been reported from
Bambusa texilis (Zhou et al., 1999) and Phyllostachys bambusoides (Cai et al., 2006b). The
species was found from a bamboo, in the present
study. Phyllostachys heterocycla var. pubescens
was found as a new host of S. bambusicola.

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Figs. 7–12. Illustrations of conidiophores and conidia of the six fungal speices. Fig. 7. Acrogenospora altissima(TNS-F-12466) A. Conidiophore and conidium (Bar 50 m m). B. Conidia (Bar 20 m m). Fig. 8. Conidia of Bactrodesmium microleucurum (TNS-F-12423) (Bar 10 m m). Fig. 9. Conidia of Canalisporium exiguum (TNS-F12450) (Bar 10 m m). Fig. 10. Endophragmiella ontariensis (TNS-F-12406) A. Conidiophore and conidium(Bar 10 m m). B. Conidia (Bar 10 m m). Fig. 11. Pestalotiopsis maculiformans (from culture JCM 15437) A.
Conidia (Bar 10 m m). B. Conidiogenous cells and immature conidia (Bar 10 m m). Fig. 12. Spadicoides bambusicola (TNS-F-12425) A. Conidiophores and conidium (Bar 25 m m). B. Conidia (Bar 10 m m).

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Acknowledgements
We thank Dr. Ken Katumoto for providing
valuable information on the mycoflora of Japan.
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