Metacapnodium spongiosum S. Hughes & Sivan.

Metacapnodium spongiosum S. Hughes & Sivan. Fig. 14 Specimens examined. Usa • Oregon, Douglas County, Bureau of Land Management, North Myrtle Creek Research Natural Area, on stem of Calocedrus decurrens (Torr.) Florin, 27 Oct. 1997, Trappe, J., OSC 61673; • Oregon, Douglas County, Roseburg, from yard of Greg Sundquist; Plant Clinic No. 09-47, on Calocedrus decurrens (Torr.) Florin, 20 Jan. 2009, Raini Rippy, OSC 135428. GenBank accession number. Collection OSC 135428, ITS, OR 532927. Description. Subicula black, superficial, and thick. Hoerl (1939) describes subicula as 13–19 mm thick, and illustrates one extending more than 12 cm over a branch. Sexual form. Not observed. Asexual forms. Capnocybe – Synnemata sparse throughout the subicula, hyphae loosely compacted at their bases. The stipe is composed of fasciculate hyphae that are closely compacted with somewhat ellipsoidal to cylindrical cells, branching in a penicillate manner towards the apex. Conidia ellipsoid with a conspicuous clear area at their tips, 1–5, mostly 3 – septate, dark brown. Conidia from OSC 135428, (30) – 35.8 – (38) + / – 3.0 × (9) – 10.85 – (12) + / – 1.3 µm, N = 20 (3 – septate); OSC 61673 (25) – 35 – (39) + / – 3.9 × (9) – 12 – (14) + / – 1.0 µm, N = 18 (3 – septate) 39–45 × 10.5–12 µm (4 – septate). Capnophialophora – Phialides similar to M. ericophilum, collarettes subcylindrical rather than flaring. Host and distribution. USA, California and Oregon, on branches of conifers Calocedrus decurrens, Chamaecyparis lawsoniana, Hesperocyparis sargentii (Hughes 1981). Notes. Hughes (1966) describes conidia of M. spongiosum as having from 1–5 septa, while conidia of M. novae-zelandiae are three, rarely two septate. In M. novae-zelandiae, the collarettes of the phialides are funnel-shaped and their bases narrow to 1.8–2.0 µm, not subcylindrical as in M. spongiosum (Hughes 1966). Within the phylogenetic ITS tree, Metacapnodium spongiosum OSC 135428 appears as the sister to M. ericophilum, both of which have a capnocybe form. Hughes’ (1966) descriptions of M. spongiosum are based in part on specimens from the Mediterranean region. The Mediterranean specimens may be better identified as M. ericophilum, a species that Hughes considered a synonym of M. spongiosum.