Austrostigmidium, a new austral genus of lichenicolous fungi close to rock-inhabiting meristematic fungi in Teratosphaeriaceae fungi close to rock-inhabiting meristematic fungi in Teratosphaeriaceae

• Published in: The Lichenologist
• Main Authors: Pérez-Ortega, Sergio, Garrido-Benavent, Isaac, Ríos, Asunción de los
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press 2015
• Subjects: Antarctica; Capnodiales; Dothideomycetes; Lichen; Lifestyle switch; Phylogenetic analysis; Symbiosis; Ultrastructure; Austral; Antarc*; Tierra del Fuego
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10261/117633; https://doi.org/10.1017/S0024282915000031

Accepted for publication: 19 December 2014 The new genus of lichenicolous fungi Austrostigmidium is described from Antarctica and Tierra del Fuego (Chile). It is characterized by the presence of black pseudothecia, pseudoparaphyses, fissitunicate, I-,KI asci and 3-septate hyaline ascospores. So far, the only known species grows on Mastodia tessellata (Verrucariales, Eurotiomycetes). The new genus is compared with anatomically close genera. Based on nuLSU and nuSSU markers we inferred its phylogenetic relationships and found that it belongs to the family Teratosphaeriaceae (Capnodiales, Dothideomycetes) and is closely related to rock-inhabiting fungal species, as well as to the hyphomycetous lichenicolous fungus Xanthoriicola. Finally, the host-parasite interface has been analyzed by means of transmission electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy in order to describe the interactions among the new fungus and the symbionts forming the host lichen. This work was funded by the grants CTM2012-38222-C02-02 and FPU AP2012-3556. Peer reviewed