Bull. Natn . Sci. M us. , Tokyo, Ser. B, 27(2, 3), pp. 57- 63 , September 22, 200 1

A New Species ofthe Hypocreales (Ascomycota) fromMt. Changbaishan, Northeast China
Yoshimichi Doi 1, Pei-Gui Liu 2 and Miki Tamura3
1

Department of Botany, National Science Museum, Tokyo,
4- 1- 1 Amakubo, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305- 0005, Japan
E-mail: y-doi @kahaku .go.jp
2
Cryptogamic Herbarium, Kunming Institute of Botany, Academia
Sinica, Kunming, Yunnan 650204, China
3
Research Center for Pathogenic Fungi and Microbial Toxicoses,Chiba University

Abstract A new species, Hypocrea corrugata Doi, P.-G .Liu & Tamura is describedfrom cool temperate zone of East Asia and North America. This species is characterized by the stromata similar to those of Hypocrea rufa (Pers.: Fr.) Fr. in fresh samples, but di stinctly rugose and brick-red to dark vinaceous in dried specimens. The
stromata are produced from lenticels of bark of dead branches or trunks of Betula orAlnus. Its Trichoderma anamorph belongs to the T harzianum aggr. defined by Rifai( 1969). It has pale green, shortly ellipsoid-obovate conidia and its branching patternof conidiophore is the Trichoderm-type somewhat close to the Verticillium-type. Thisspecies has often been confused with H. rufa.
Key words: Fungi, Hypocreales, Hypocrea, Trichoderma , new species, Changbaishan, Jiling Prov. , China.

Introduction

During our taxonomic studies on Hypocrea and its allies in China, we found a
new species of Hypocrea on Betula in the western slope of Mt. Changbaishan, Jiling
Prov. , north-east China in 1998. The fresh stromata of this species are similar to thoseof Hypocrea rufa (Pers.: Fr.) Fr. , some species of H. aurantia-group with brick-red
stromata, or Hypocrea muroiana, however, in dried specimens, the stromata become
brick-red to dark vinaceous and distinctly corrugate (rugose).
Although some specimens of this species are deposited in several herbaria, usually they have been identified as Hypocrea rufa (Pers.: Fr.) Fr.
There has been no record of its anamorph. We obtained a Trichoderma
anamorph with pale green, short ellipsoid-ovate conidia from the part-spores of aspecimen (holotype) collected from Mt. Changbaishan. This Trichoderma anamorph
is clearly different from those of Hypocrea rufa as well as other similar species. Thisnew species is described below.

58

Yoshimichi Doi, Pei-Gui Liu and Miki Tamura

Description of Hypocrea corrugata(Fig. 1, 2 & 3)
Hypocrea corrugata Doi, P.-G. Liu & Tamura, sp. nov.
Stromata pulvinata, disciformia vel irregularia, solitaria vel aggregata in lenticellis alborium insidentia, in vivo rufa vel vinosa, 1- 3 X 2- 3 mm lata, 0.8- 1.2 mm
crassa, in sicco vinosa vel fere nigricantia, valde corrugata. Textura strati superficialis
stromatorum epidermoidea, brunneora, cellulis texturorum brunneolis, 2.5- 3.5JJ.mcrassa. Hyphis stromatorum interiorum subter peritheciis irreguraliter ventricosis,
tenui-tunicatis, hyalinis, 8- 25 J.1m crassis.
Perithecia in stromatibus superficialibus immersa, ellipsoidea vel obovata, longitudinaliter fere elongata, 170- 250 J.1m in diametro verticali. Asci cylindrici, 62- 67 X
3.1-3.4 J.1m , 16-partospori. Partosporis hyalinis, minute pusticulato-tuberculatis, dimorphis; partosporis distalibus subglobosis vel ovatis, 2.8- 3.8 X2.5- 3.3 J.1m, partosporis proximalibus obovato-ellipsoideis vel subcylindricis, 3.1- 3.9 X2.2- 2.8 J.1m.
Culturae in agaro malti rapide crescentes. Partes conidiferae dispersae vel aggregatae, virides. Conidiophora mononemata vel aggregata, Trichoderma-typici .
Conidiophora mononemata effusa super agaro. Conidiophora aggregata caespites minores formantia . Phialides graciles vel plus minusve curvae, verticillatae, ampuliformes vel lageniformes, 8- 14 X 1.8- 2.6 J.1m.
Conidia in muco aggregata, pallide viridis, ellipsoid-ovata, basi leviter truncata,laevia, 2.6--4.3 X I. 7-2.8 J.1m. Chlamydosporae raro, globosae vel subellipsoideae, terminales vel intercalares, hyalinae, laeves, 8-19 X 7-12 J.1m.
Stromata pulvinate, disciform or irregularly shaped, scattered or gregarious on
lenticels of bark of dead trees, 1- 3X2- 3mm diam ., 0.8- 1.2mm thick, base narrow,margin free, reddish brown to vinose in fresh samples, vinose to almost black in driedspecimens. Tissue of stromal surface (on which perithecial ostioles are situated) be-Fig. I. Hypocrea corrugata Doi, P-G. Liu & Tamura, sp. nov. (TNS-F-7034, Isotype) A. Habitof stromata on lenticels of Betula sp. B. Stromata in shrunk, depressed and rugose conditionof dried specimen.

Hypocrea corrugata, a new species from Mt. C hangba ishan, northeast China

59t0flJ
A

8CJ
€)~0B
100/J-mfZjGFig. 2. Hypocrea corrugata Doi, P. -G. Liu & Tamura, sp. nov. (TNS-F-7034, lsotype) A. Longitud ina l section of stromata (a schematic pattern). B. Longitudinal section of stroma .
C. Longitudinal section of textura epidermoidea-type tissue of the stromal surface layer onwhich perithecial ostio les are stituated. D. Cells of internal reg ion of stroma below perithecia(longitudinal section) . E. Ce lls of basal region of stroma (longitudinal section ). F. Partspores of POD 14543. G. Partspores of POD 13071. H. Ascus and part-spores of isotypeinTNS.

longs to textura epidermoidea, forming a region 18- 23 J.lm thick, cells 3- 7 X 2-4 J.lm ,with thick, brownish-colored walls. Tissue of stromal interior below perithecia composed of colorless, thin-walled, 16- 27 X 7- 23 J.lm wide cells, most of these cells beingtransformed or collapsed and causing rugose surface of stromata in dried specimens.
Perithecia ellipsoidal or obovate-subglobose, generally crowded and longitudinally elongate, 170- 250 J.lm in high , completely immersed in stroma, ostiolar canalYoshimichi Doi, Pei-Gui Liu and Miki Tamura

60

1-----i lO,umc' .

·. \\'.

Fig. 3. Trichoderma anamorph of Hypocrea corrugata Doi, P.-G.Liu & Tamura, sp. nov., drawn
from the cultures of the holotype specimen (HKAS 32630) A & B. Conidiophores inyounger stages. C & D. Conidiophores in older stages. E. Chlamydospores. F. Slender orirregularly curved phialides. G. Conidia.

40- 70,um long, 35- SO,um wide. Asci cylindrical, apex thickened, 62- 67X3 .1- 3.4,urn, with 16 uniseriate part-spores. Part-spores colorless, minutely pusticulate-tuberculate, dimorphic: distal part-spores ovate-subglobose, 2.8- 3.8X2.5- 3.3 ,urn, proximal part-spores obovate-ellipsoid to subcylindrical, 3.1- 3.9 X2.2- 2.8 ,urn.

Hypocrea corrugata, a new species from Mt. Changbaishan, northeast China

61

Characteristics in culture. On slant of I% malt agar in cotton-plugged culture
tubes at room temperature (22- 26°C) in diffused daylight, part-spores germinatedwithin 2 days . Colonies expanding rapidly (diameter of colony increasing 1- 2 cm per
day in Petri dish), at first smooth, translucent, lacking aerial hyphae except conidiophores; hyphae septate, smooth, 2- l1J.1.m wide, colorless; agar media scarcely colored.
Conidiophores produced at first near the inoculated point, later spread over the
mycelial colony, scarcely froming pulvinate tufts.
Conidiophores macronematous, arising from the surface of the colony, mononematous or aggregated into tufts, framing pale green concentric rings on plate
agar of Petri dish; colonies of conidiophores at first white , becoming pale green(27 A5- 28A5 , in Kornerp & Wanscher, 1967).
When mononematous, main branch of conidiophores long, up to 400 J.1.m , up to
11J.1.m wide, and side branches produced with acute angles with the main branch,mostly at the upper portion of conidiophores, the primary side branches 30- 90 J.1.mlong, 1.9- 3J.1.m wide at the base. The secondary side branches arising with acute angles with the primary side branches, up to 20 J.1.m long, 2- 2.5J.1.m wide at the base,sometimes the tertiary side branches produced with acute angles with the secondaryside branches, up to 611m long, about 2J.1.m wide at the base.
Phialides produced verticillately at the tip of branches of conidiophores, slender,
attenuate toward the tip , or ampuliform when often more or less irregularly curved,
6- 16 X 1.8- 2.6J.1.m, periclinal thickening not clear, collarette not flared.
Conidia pale green (27 A- 28A5 , in Kornerp & Wanscher, 1967), held in a mucilaginous drop at the tip of each phialide or forming larger drops fused with drops ofsome neighburing phialides, ellipsoid or ovate-ellipsoid with minute truncate base,smooth, 2.6-4.3 X 1.7- 2.8J.1.m. Chlamydospores rare on agar plate or slunt media ,often produced on thin agar film on a slide glass on which part-spores being dispersed for isolation, smooth, colorless, globose or ellipsoid, 8- 19 X 7- l2J.1.m.
Habitat. On lenticels of bark of dead branches or trunk of Betula or A lnus.
Known distribution. North-east Asia (northeast China, on Betula) and North
America (Canada, on Alnus).
Holotype: On lenticels of bark of Betula sp., around the hot spring region, western slope of Mt. Changbaishan, ca. l ,300 malt. , Chaoxiezhu State, Jiling Prov., China,Sept. 6, 1998, P. G. Liu & Y. Doi, DL' 98-15=HKAS 32630 (isotype in TNS, F-7034= Doi's collection no . 0 .9754). Subcultures are kept in the laboratory of P.-G . Liu,
HKAS . Dried cultures and slide preparates of cultures are deposited in TNS .
Other specimens examined. On Alnus sp., Beer Island, Lake Temagami, Ontario,Canada, Aug. 1935, H. S. Jackson (Univ.Toronto Crypt. Herb. 8320, duplicate in
POD, as POD 13071, identified as Hypocrea rufa (Pers.) Fr.; On Alnus incana ,Costella Lake, Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada, Sept. 14, 1939, R. F. Cain (Univ. ofToronto Crypt. Herb. l5903 , duplicate in POD as POD 14543 .)62

Yoshimichi Doi, Pei-Gui Liu and Miki Tamura

Notes. 1. This species resembles Hypocrea rufa, H. muroiana, and somespecies of the H. aurantia group in general appearance of stromata when fresh. However, the surface of the stromata of this new species are distinctly corrugate (rugose)when dry. The rugose condition of stromata in dried specimens of this species is dueto the structure of the stromal tissue, i.e., the cells of stromal interior below perithecia
are larger, thin-walled and they are easily depressed, transformed or collapsed. As aresult the surface of stroma become prominently shrunk and rugose.
2. The branching pattern of conidiophore of this Trichoderma anamorph withpale green, short ellipsoid to ellipsoid-ovate conidia is somewhat close to the Verticillium-type rather than a normal Trichoderma-type . This Trichoderma state belongs tothe Trichoderma hamatum aggr. Defined by Rifai ( 1969). The pale green col or ofconidia as well as the growth pattern of colonies of this species resemble those ofHypocrea albofulva Berk. & Br.
3. Hypocrea rugulosa Berk. & Cooke (in Cooke, 1884), reported from India,
also resembles Hypocrea corrugata in general appearance of stroma, however, theformer species has green part-spores and it belongs to the Subsect. Creopus in thegenus Hypocrea , whereas H. corrugata belongs to the Subsect. Hypocrea, in the infrageneric classification proposed by Doi ( 1969, 1972).
4. The stromata of two Canadian collection of this species are brownish evenin dried specimens, whereas those of the Chinese collection are vinose to almost
black in dried specimens. We consider that the col or variation of stromata is not important to separate Chinese strains from Canadian strains at any taxonomic rank.

Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the members of the Mycological Society of China, who sokindly helped us in the field collection around Mt. Changbaishan. Our sincere thanks
are due to Dr. Yasuyuki Hiratsuka, Director of the Tottori mycological Institute andserving concurrently as a staff of the Northern Forestry Ctr., Canadian Forest Service,
who was so kind to correct partially our English of the manuscript. We would like toexpress our sincere thanks to the directors, keepers and curators of the herbaria K and
POD for the loan of world-wide specimens of Hypocrea .
This study was party supported by a grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research fromthe ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture of Japan no. I 00411186(1998, to Dr. H. Koyama).

References
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