title: Verrucostoma, a new genus in the bionectriaceae from the Bonin Islands, Japan.
abstract: Verrucostoma freycinetiae gen. et sp. nov. is described and illustrated from specimens on dead leaves of Freycinetia boninensis (Pandanaceae) collected in Hahajima, Bonin (Ogasawara) Islands, Japan. The genus is characterized by pale orange perithecia with protuberances around the perithecial apex, no color change in 3% potassium hydroxide and lactic acid, unitunicate asci, spinulose ascospores and an Acremonium-like anamorph. Morphological characters were compared with other genera in the Bionectriaceae and Nectriaceae (Hypocreales). Verrucostoma is morphologically similar to Bionectria (Bionectriaceae) from which it differs in the formation of conspicuous protuberances around the perithecial apex and the Acremonium-like anamorph. Moreover molecular analyses of Verrucostoma and other members of the Bionectriaceae and Nectriaceae based on alpha-actin, large subunit nuclear ribosomal DNA and RNA polymerase II subunit 1 sequences support the conclusions based on morphological data. Our results confirm that V. freycinetiae is distinct from other genera among the Nectria-like fungi and represents a new genus belonging to the Bionectriaceae.
authors.affiliation: United States Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Systematic Mycology and Microbiology Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland 20705, USA. Yuuri.Hirooka@ars.usda.gov
authors.forename: Yuuri
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirooka
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Tsuyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.forename: Amy Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Rossman
authors.forename: Priscila
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chaverri
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D004271:DNA, Fungal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D006999:Hypocreales / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D031673:Pandanaceae; D010802:Phylogeny; D010935:Plant Diseases / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012319:RNA Polymerase II / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014041:Tokyo
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D012335:RNA, Ribosomal; D012319:RNA Polymerase II