Resinomelania communis Czachura & Piątek, 2025

Czachura, Paweł & Piątek, Marcin, 2025, Discovery of the first resinicolous fungus in Mycosphaerellales (Dothideomycetes): Resinomelania communis from conifer resins in Poland, MycoKeys 120, pp. 119-138 : 119-138

Resinomelania communis Czachura & Piątek sp. nov.

Figs 2 , 3

Etymology.

The epithet is derived from the Latin word that means ‘‘ common’ ’ and refers to the common occurrence of this species on conifer resins.

Typus.

Poland • Świętokrzyskie Province, Kielce County, the Świętokrzyski National Park, Mt. Łysica , on resin of Picea abies , 18 June 2021, leg. P. Czachura (holotype: KRAM F- 60010 ; culture ex-type: CBS 152715 = P 0008 ) .

Description.

Mycelium composed of branched, septate, hyaline to subhyaline (when young) or pale brown to brown (when mature), smooth or verruculose, guttulate, sometimes anastomosing, cylindrical (2.0–5.0 μm wide) and moniliform hyphae (3.5–9.5 μm wide). Hyphae with numerous aseptate, one-septate, or multiseptate hyphal swellings, 5.0–9.5 μm wide; multiseptate hyphal swellings in form of multicellular bodies, which are formed by meristematic development of hyphae. Chlamydospores subglobose or broadly ellipsoidal, pale brown to brown, smooth or slightly verruculose, aseptate or muriformly septate, 6.5–12.5 × 6.0–10.0 μm, intercalary or terminal, single, guttulate. Arthroconidia formed by arthric disarticulation, broadly ellipsoidal, one-septate or rarely aseptate, mostly constricted at septa, pale brown to brown, smooth or verruculose, 6.0–12.5 × 4.5–7.0 μm, intercalary or terminal, in chains, guttulate.

Culture characteristics.

Colonies on MEA and PDA convex, with folded surface, grey olivaceous to smoke grey, margin slightly lobate to slightly crenate; on MEA reaching 14 mm diam. after 4 weeks at 15 ° C and 16 mm diam. after 4 weeks at 25 ° C, reverse grayish black; on PDA reaching 12 mm diam. after 4 weeks at 15 ° C and 16 mm diam. after 4 weeks at 25 ° C, reverse grayish black. Colonies on OA and SNA flat with protrusion at center, fuscous black, margin nearly entire to slightly undulate; on OA reaching 10 mm diam. after 4 weeks at 15 ° C and 12 mm diam. after 4 weeks at 25 ° C, reverse grayish black; on SNA reaching 6 mm diam. after 4 weeks at 15 ° C and 12 mm diam. after 4 weeks at 25 ° C, reverse grayish black.

Additional specimens examined.

Poland • Małopolskie Province, Tatra County, the Tatra National Park, Dolina Strążyska , on resin of Picea abies , 23 Sept. 2020, leg. P. Czachura & M. Piątek ( KRAM F- 60012 ; culture: CBS 152716 = P 0010 ) ; • Podkarpackie Province, Krosno County, the Modrzyna Reserve , on resin of Pinus sylvestris , 22 Oct. 2020, leg. P. Czachura ( KRAM F- 60014 ; culture: CBS 152717 = P 0012 ) ; • Świętokrzyskie Province, Kielce County, the Świętokrzyski National Park, the strict protection area Mokry Bór , on resin of Pinus sylvestris , 18 June 2021, leg. P. Czachura ( KRAM F- 60016 ; culture: CBS 152718 = P 0014 ) ; • Świętokrzyskie Province, Kielce County, the Świętokrzyski National Park, Psarska Góra , on resin of Abies alba , 15 Oct. 2020, leg. P. Czachura ( KRAM F- 60019 ; culture: CBS 152719 = P 0017 ) ; • Podkarpackie Province, Krosno County, the Modrzyna Reserve , on resin of Larix decidua ssp. polonica , 22 June 2021, leg. P. Czachura ( KRAM F- 60021 ; culture: CBS 152720 = P 0019 ) ; • Świętokrzyskie Province, Kielce County, the Świętokrzyski National Park, the strict protection area Psarski Dół , on resin of Picea abies , 16 Oct. 2020, leg. P. Czachura ( KRAM F- 60011 ; culture: P 0009 ) ; • Małopolskie Province, Tatra County, the Tatra National Park, Dolina Filipka , on resin of Picea abies , 15 July 2021, leg. P. Czachura & M. Piątek ( KRAM F- 60013 ; culture: P 0011 ) ; • Świętokrzyskie Province, Kielce County, the Świętokrzyski National Park, Dolina Czarnej Wody , on resin of Pinus sylvestris , 15 Oct. 2020, leg. P. Czachura ( KRAM F- 60017 ; culture: P 0015 ) ; • Podkarpackie Province, Krosno County, the Modrzyna Reserve , on resin of Abies alba , 21 June 2021, leg. P. Czachura ( KRAM F- 60018 ; culture: P 0016 ) ; • Małopolskie Province, Tatra County, the Tatra National Park, Łysa Skałka , on resin of Abies alba , 08 Oct. 2020, leg. P. Czachura & M. Piątek ( KRAM F- 60020 ; culture: P 0018 ) ; • Świętokrzyskie Province, Kielce County, the Świętokrzyski National Park, Chełmowa Góra , on resin of Larix decidua ssp. polonica , 16 Oct. 2020, leg. P. Czachura ( KRAM F- 60022 ; culture: P 0020 ) ; • Świętokrzyskie Province, Kielce County, the Świętokrzyski National Park, Chełmowa Góra , on resin of Larix decidua ssp. polonica , 19 June 2021, leg. P. Czachura ( KRAM F- 60023 ; culture: P 0021 ) .

Notes.

The genus Resinomelania forms a distinct phylogenetic lineage close to the genera Neocatenulostroma and Sthughesia . Resinomelania differs from Neocatenulostroma by having one-septate or aseptate arthroconidia formed by disarticulation of hyphae. Moreover, Resinomelania frequently forms hyphal swellings and chlamydospores. In contrast, members of the genus Neocatenulostroma produce variously shaped, multiseptate conidia (= arthroconidia) with transverse, longitudinal, or oblique septa that arise from conidiophores, which may be aggregated into sporodochia or are formed by disarticulation of hyphae. Additionally, conidia in Neocatenulostroma are characterized by having rounded, pale cells at both sides (apex and base), while this feature is absent in Resinomelania ( Butin et al. 1996; Ruibal et al. 2005; Crous et al. 2007 a; Quaedvlieg et al. 2014). The morphological comparison of Resinomelania with Sthughesia is not possible since Sthughesia juniperi is described from sexual morph (ascomata with asci and ascospores), although with information that hyphae are moniliform ( Barr 1987 a). Additionally, phialides were observed in this fungus ( Barr 1987 b). The morphology of Resinomelania communis , with hyphae that develop into arthroconidia and chlamydospores, resembles the morphology of different genera and species of so-called “ black yeasts ”, which are phylogenetically distinct ( Isola et al. 2016; Humphries et al. 2017; Trovão et al. 2019; Muggia et al. 2021; Piątek et al. 2024).

Figures

Figure 2. Morphology of cultures of Resinomelania communis (CBS 152715) after 4 weeks at 25 ° C: A, B. Colony on MEA; C, D. Colony on OA; E, F. Colony on PDA; G, H. Colony on SNA.

Figure 3. Morphology of Resinomelania communis (CBS 152715): A. Cylindrical hyphae; B. Moniliform hyphae; C. Cylindrical and moniliform hyphae; D. Anastomosing hyphae; E – G. Aseptate hyphal swellings; H – K. Hyphal swellings in form of multicellular bodies; L – O. Chlamydospores; P – V. Arthroconidia. Scale bars: 10 μm.