Berkleasmium
Berkleasmium Zobel
Index Fungorum number: IF 7362
Saprobic on decaying wood. Sexual morph: Ascomata superficial, seated on a subiculum, solitary, scattered, subglobose to globose, dark brown to black, with a central ostiole. Setae multi-celled, thick-walled, brown to black, straight or slightly curved, covering the whole ascomata. Peridium composed of several layers cells of textura angularis, with inner cells pale brown and outer cells dark brown. Hamathecium comprising numerous, filiform, septate, branched pseudoparaphyses. Asci 8-spored, bitunicate, cylindrical, pedicellate, apically rounded. Ascospores biseriate, fusiform, tapering towards the rounded ends, slightly curved, guttulate, multi-septate, not constricted at septa, hyaline, smooth-walled. Asexual morph: (1) Hyphomycetous, with dictyoconidia; Sporodochia black, distinct, about 0.2 mm in diameter, compact, where crowded tending to become confluent; conidia broad-cylindrical, multicellular, with large and fairly regular cells, fuscous, borne on short conidiophores which become obscure with maturity (Moore 1958). (2) Hyphomycetous, helicosporous; colonies on the substratum superficial, effuse, gregarious, brown; mycelium composed of partly immersed, partly superficial, brown, septate, branched hyphae, with masses of crowded, glistening conidia; conidiophores macronematous, mononematous, erect, arising as lateral branches from creeping hyphae, short, cylindrical, 0–3-septate, brown, smooth-walled; conidiogenous cells holoblastic, mono- to polyblastic, integrated, sympodial, terminal, cylindrical, truncate at apex, brown, smooth-walled; conidia solitary, acrogenous, helicoid, tapering to apex and base, coiled 1½–3½ times, becoming loosely coiled or uncoiled in water, with elongated basal cell, rounded at tip, multi-septate, slightly constricted at septa, 90–180 μm diam. and conidial filament 8–15 μm wide, more than 400 μm long, up to 1540 μm long, brown, smooth-walled. (Description from Lu et al. 2018)
Type species: Berkleasmium concinnum (Berk.) S. Hughes
Notes: Berkleasmium is characterized by superficial ascomata seated on a subiculum, with multi-celled setae covering the whole ascomata, fusiform, multi-septate ascospores, and dictyoconidia or helicoid conidia (Lu et al. 2018). The type species B. concinnum was linked to the asexual morph of Neoacanthostigma septoconstrictum (Promp. & A.N. Mill.) Boonmee & K.D. Hyde, based on phylogenetic evidence and co-occurrence of ascomata of N. septoconstrictum and sporodochia of B. concinnum (Tanney and Miller 2017). Berkleasmium comprises over 45 epithets in Index Fungorum (2020). However, Lu et al. (2018) accepted six species based on phylogenetic evidence and their similar sexual morph features. Five species were reported from freshwater habitats and four of them were transferred from Neoacanthostigma Boonmee et al. The sexual morph of B. aquaticum (Y.Z. Lu et al.) Y.Z. Lu has the typical ascomata of Berkleasmium (Lu et al. 2017). (Description from Dong et al. 2020)
List of freshwater Berkleasmium species
Berkleasmium aquaticum (Y.Z. Lu, Boonmee & K.D. Hyde) Y.Z. Lu, Fungal Diversity 92: 150 (2018)
Basionym: Neoacanthostigma aquaticum Y.Z. Lu, Boon- mee & K.D. Hyde, Cryptog. Mycol. 38(2): 176 (2017)
Freshwater distribution: China (Lu et al. 2017)
Berkleasmium guangxiense (Y.Z. Lu, Boonmee & K.D. Hyde) Y.Z. Lu, Fungal Diversity 92: 150 (2018)
Basionym: Neoacanthostigma guangxiense Y.Z. Lu, Boonmee & K.D. Hyde, Cryptog. Mycol. 38(2): 182 (2017)
Freshwater distribution: China (Lu et al. 2017)
Berkleasmium latisporum (Y.Z. Lu, Boonmee & K.D. Hyde) Y.Z. Lu, Fungal Diversity 92: 152 (2018);
Basionym: Neoacanthostigma latisporum Y.Z. Lu, Boon- mee & K.D. Hyde, Cryptog. Mycol. 38(2): 184 (2017)
Freshwater distribution: Thailand (Lu et al. 2017)
Berkleasmium longisporum Y.Z. Lu, J.C. Kang & K.D. Hyde, Fungal Diversity 92: 150 (2018)
Freshwater distribution: Thailand (Lu et al. 2018)
Berkleasmium thailandicum (Tanney & A.N. Mill.) Y.Z. Lu & K.D. Hyde, Fungal Diversity 92: 152 (2018)
Basionym: Neoacanthostigma thailandicum Tanney & A.N. Mill., IMA Fungus 8(1): 103 (2017)
Synonymy: Neoacanthostigma brunneisporum Y.Z. Lu, Boonmee & K.D. Hyde, Cryptog. Mycol. 38(2): 179 (2017)
Freshwater distribution: Thailand (Lu et al. 2017)
Key to freshwater Berkleasmium species
1. Conidiogenous cells mono-to polyblastic.................................. B. aquaticum
1. Conidiogenous cells only monoblastic or polyblastic.................................... 2
2. Conidiogenous cells monoblastic................................................................. 3
2. Conidiogenous cells polyblastic.................................................................. 4
3. Conidial filament 11–15 μm wide........................................... B. longisporum
3. Conidial filament 9–11 μm wide.............................................. B. thailandicum
4. Conidial filament 12–14.5 μm wide............................................ B. latisporum
4. Conidial filament 8–10 μm wide............................................. B. guangxiense
References
Lu YZ, Boonmee S, Liu JK, Hyde KD, Bhat DJ, Eungwanichayapant PD, Kang JC (2017) Novel Neoacanthostigma species from aquatic habitats. Cryptogam Mycol 38:169–191
Lu YZ, Liu JK, Hyde KD, Jeewon R, Kang JC, Fan C, Boonmee S, Bhat DJ, Luo ZL, Lin CG, Eungwanichayapant PD (2018) A taxonomic reassessment of Tubeufiales based on multi-locus phylogeny and morphology. Fungal Divers 92:131–344
Moore RT (1958) Deuteromycetes I: the Sporidesmium complex. Mycologia 50:681–692x
Tanney J, Miller AN (2017) Asexual-sexual morph connection in the type species of Berkleasmium. IMA fungus 8:99–105
Recent Genus
1Neochlamydotubeufia
Neohelicomyces
Recent Species
Neohelicomyces submersusNeohelicomyces hyalosporus
Neohelicomyces grandisporus