Metacapnodium moniliforme S. Hughes

Metacapnodium aff. moniliforme (L. R. Fraser) S. Hughes Specimen examined. Scotland • VC – 98 – Argyllshire – Benmore Botanic Garden, on Rhododendron sp., 13 Mar 23, Rebecca Yahr, E 01043362. GenBank accession numbers. ITS, OR 532939; LSU, PP 140684. Description. Like M. moniliforme, this specimen has both a capnobotrys and a capnophialophora form. Sexual form unknown. Asexual form. Capnobotrys – Mode of conidiogenesis, conidium shapes similar to two DAOM M. moniliforme samples described above. Conidium sizes (9) – 12.45 – (17) + / – 1.7 × (6) – 8 – (10) + / – 1.2 µm, N = 30, Q = 1.5 slightly larger than two DAOM M. moniliforme samples. Notes. In the ITS phylogeny, M. aff. moniliforme forms a monophyletic group with M. moniliforme and M. cf. moniliforme with 97 % bootstrap support (Fig. 2). Material of this specimen is too limited for more extensive description and analysis, but its sequence divergence from other specimens suggests it might represent a new, possibly cryptic species.