Aphanocladium macrosporum sp. nov. from Taiwan - Academia Sinica

Chen Bot. Bull. et al. Acad. — A Sin. new (1999) species 40: of 333-336 Aphanocladium from Taiwan 333 

Aphanocladium macrosporum sp. nov. from Taiwan 

Jin-Liang Chen 1,3 , W.S. Lin 1 , and S.S. Tzean 2 

1Department of Hospital and Health Care Administration, Chia-Nan College of Pharmacy and Science, Tainan 

717, Taiwan 

2Department of Plant Pathology, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan 

(Received October 7, 1998; Accepted March 12, 1999) 

Abstract. A species of Aphanocladium was isolated from rotten bark in Kuohsing, Nantou, Taiwan. Its distinguishing 

characteristics are slender, acicular phialide-like conidiogenous cells and solitary, large, smooth, hyaline conidia. As 

these morphological characteristics differ from all other known species in the genus, this isolate can be recognized as a 

new species, Aphanocladium macrosporum J.L. Chen, W.S. Lin and S.S. Tzean. 

Keywords: Aphanocladium macrosporum sp. nov.; Hyphomycetes; Taxonomy; Taiwan. 

Introduction 

Gams (1971) erected the genus Aphanocladium to include 

three species, A. album (Preuss) W. Gams 

(Basionym: Acremonium album Preuss), A. aranearum 

(Petch) W. Gams (Basionym: Acremonium aranearum 

Petch) and A. meliolae (Hansf.) W. Gams (Basionym: 

Oospora meliolae Hansf.). In 1973, the generic conception 

of Aphanocladium was revised as having solitary 

conidia borne on phialide-like conidiogenous cells, and 

A. spectabile W. Gams was named as a new species 

(Gams, 1973). Aphanocladium album (Preuss) W. Gams 

was designated the type species. Later, a further three 

species, A. tomentosum Arambarri, A. aranearum 

(Petch) W. Gams var. sinense J.D. Chen and A. 

dimorphum J.D. Chen were added to the genus 

(Arambarri, 1981; Chen et al., 1984; 1985; Petch, 1932) 

bringing the total number of species in Aphanocladium 

to seven. Three species—A. album, A. aranearum var. 

sinense and A. dimorphum—are parasitic on Agaricus 

bisporus (Lange) Sing and cause disease in the mushroom. 

Aphanocladium aranearum var. sinense is capable of 

infecting other mushroom species including Hericium 

erinaceus (Bull.) Pers., Lentinus edodes (Berk.) Sing. 

and Pleurotus ostreatus (Jacq. ex Fr.) Quél. (Chen et al., 

1984). Aphanocladium dimorphum has two distinct 

types of conidial morphs, but conidial size was not described 

or measured (Chen et al., 1985). 

During a taxonomic study of hyphomycetes, 

Duteromycotina, from rotten leaf litter in Taiwan, an interesting 

fungus was isolated from rotten bark in 

Kuohsing, Nantou County. The general morphological 

3 Corresponding author. Tel: 06-266-4911 ext. 284; Fax: 06-266- 

7322; E-mail: ccl51911@ms29.hinet.net 

Figure 1. Aphanocladium macrosporum. Characteristics of its 

conidiophores and conidia on oat meal agar.

334 Botanical Bulletin of Academia Sinica, Vol. 40, 1999 

characteristics of this isolate fit the generic concept of 

Aphanocladium. Phialide, conidial morphology and dimensions 

easily distinguish this isolate from other known 

species in the genus. Thus, a new species, 

Aphanocladium macrosporum J.L. Chen, W.S. Lin and 

S.S. Tzean is proposed. 

Materials and Methods 

Samples were collected from rotten bark in Kuohsing, 

Nantou County during October, 1996 and incubated in 

moist chambers (plastic boxes, 30 × 20 × 12 cm, with 

three layers of moistened papers) to encourage fungal 

sporulation. Pure culture was established by isolating a 

single spore or spores with a sterile glass microneedle 

on 3% agar. A piece of agar containing isolated spores 

was cut out and transferred to oat meal agar (OMA) slants 

or plates under a stereomicroscope. Details of fungal 

morphology and conidiogenesis were studied and 

recorded. The fungus was illustrated using a drawing tube 

and photographed using an Olympus light microscope 

(BX50). The taxonomic systems of Barron (1968), 

Hughes (1953), Tubaki (1963), Ellis (1971) and Saccardo 

(1882-1931) were used for identification. Both live cultures 

and dried specimens were deposited in the Herbarium 

of the Chen-Fungi-Collection (Herb. CFC). 

Species Descriptions 

Aphanocladium macrosporum J.L. Chen, W.S. Lin, and 

S.S. Tzean sp. nov. (Figures 1-2) 

Figure 2. Aphanocladium macrosproum. A-B, phialide-like conidiogenous cells. A. Bar = 50 µm; B. Bar = 20 µm. C-D, globose, 

subglobose or ellipsoidial conidia. Bars = 20 µm.

Chen et al. — A new species of Aphanocladium from Taiwan 335 

Coloniae in OMA effusae, floccosae, albae; reversae 

albae; Mycelium fere superficiale, ex hyphis ramosis, 

septatis, lenibus, hyalinis, 1.6-8.0 µm latum compositum; 

Cellulae conidiogenae terminales vel laterales, 

monoblastae, directae, simplices vel fasciculatae, 

aciculares, laeves, hyalinae, 20.0-67.2 × 0.6-1.6 µm, cum 

collum ad apicem; Conidia solitaria, globosa ad 

subglobosa vel ellipsoidea, lenia, hyalina, 5.2-14.1 µm 

longus, 4.8-13.6 µm latus. 

In Cortice putrido, Kuohsing, Nantou, 13-X-96; 

Holotypus, Herb. CFC-2. 

Colonies on Oat meal Agar effuse, floccose, white; reverse 

white; Mycelium mostly superficial, composed of 

branched, septate, smooth, hyaline, 1.6-8.0 µm wide 

hyphae; Conidiogenous cells terminal or lateral, 

monoblastic, simple or fasciculate, acicular, with a collar 

at the apex, smooth, hyaline, 20.0-67.2 × 0.6-1.6 µm; 

Conidia solitary, globose to subglobose or ellipsoidal, 

smooth, hyaline, 5.2-14.1 µm long, 4.8-13.6 µm wide. 

Isolated from: rotten bark, Kuohsing, Nantou, Oct. 13 

1996. CTN-69. 

Chen et al. (1984, 1985) have made two comparative 

tables detailing the morphological characteristics of six 

species of Aphanocladium. The six species were 

compared and discussed including A. aranearum var. 

sinense, A. dimorphum, A. album, A. aranearum, A. 

meliolae and A. spectabile. The remaining species not 

included in the tables is A. tomentosum Arambarri, which 

is the only synnematous species of Aphanocladium and 

was collected from fallen leaves of Nothofagus pumilio 

in Argentina. The conidiogenous cells of A. tomentosum 

differ from those of A. macrosporum as they are shorter 

and broader (11.0-13.5 × 2.4-3.0 µm) and produce 

smaller conidia (8.0-9.6 × 1.8-4.5 µm). Conidiogenous 

cells of A. macrosporum are more slender and longer 

(20.0-67.2 × 0.6-1.6 µm) than those of all other known 

species in the genus, and the conidia, which are globose 

or subglobose, are the largest (5.2-14.1 × 4.8-13.6 µm) 

among the species. The conidial morphology of A. album 

is similar to that of A. macrosporum, but the conidia of 

A. album are smaller (2.8-5.5 µm long, 1.7-3.7 µm wide). 

Conidial shape in other species of Aphanocladium is 

described as obovoid, ellipsoidal, short-ellipsoidal or 

ovoid. The unique characteristics of A. macrosperum 

clearly distinguish it from all other members of 

Aphanocladium. 

Acknowledgments. We thank the National Science Council 

(NSC-86-2314-B-041-008) for funding this research. 

Literature Cited 

Arambarri, A.M. 1981. Micoflora de La hojarasca de Nothofagus 

obliqua de Y N. pumilio. I. Boln. Soc. Argent. Bot. 20(1- 

2): 19-30. 

Barron, G.L. 1968. The Genera of Hyphomycetes from Soil. The 

Williams and Wilkins Co., Baltimore. 

Chen, J.D., J.G. Liu, S.S. Chen, F.J. Cai, and Z.C. Zhang. 1984. 

Studies on Aphanocladium aranearum (Petch) Gams var. 

sinense var. nov. — A fungus parasitic on Agaricus 

bisporus (Lange) Sing. Acta Mycol. Sin. 3(2): 96-101 

Chen, J.D., J.G. Liu, S.S. Chen, F.J. Cai, and Z.C. Zhang. 1985. 

A new species of Aphanocladium on Agaricus bisporus. 

Acta Mycol. Sin. 4(4): 227-233. 

Ellis, M.B. 1971. Dematiaceous Hyphomycetes. Commonwealth 

Mycological Institute. Kew. Surrey, England. 

Gams, W. 1971. Cephalosproiumartige Schimmelpilze 

(Hyphomycetes). Gustar Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart, 262 pp. 

Gams, W. 1973. Phialides with solitary conidia? Remarks on 

conidium ontogeny in some hyphomycetes. Persoonia 7(2): 

161-169. 

Hughes, S.J. 1953. Conidiophores, conidia and classification. Can. 

J. Bot. 31: 577-659. 

Petch, T. 1932. Notes on Entomogenous Fungi. Trans. Br. Mycol. 

Soc. 16: 242-243. 

Saccardo, P.A. 1882-1931. Sylloge Fungorum Omnium 

Cognitorum. 25 volumes. Pavia, Italy. 

Tubaki, K. 1963. Taxonomic study of Hyphomycetes. Annu. Rep. 

Inst. Ferment. Osaka 1: 25-54.

336 Botanical Bulletin of Academia Sinica, Vol. 40, 1999 

Aphanocladium macrosporum sp. nov. 

Aphanocldium macrosporum 

J.L. Chen, W.S. Lin and S.S. Tzean (conidiogenous 

cells; phialide-like) (solitary) 

macrosporum 

(Aphanocladium macrosporum sp. nov.)

Aphanocladium macrosporum sp. nov. from Taiwan - Academia Sinica

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?