Nemania serpens (Pers. : Fr.) S. F. Gray var. colliculosa (Schwein. : Fr.) Y.-M. Ju & J. D. Rogers
TELEOMORPH | CULTURES AND ANAMORPH | SPECIMENS EXAMINED | NOTES
NOTES
This variety differs from the typical variety primarily in having an amyloid ascal apical ring and smaller perithecia. Granmo et al. (1999) treated N. colliculosa and N. prava as distinct species, and noted that they can be separated by perithecial size and color of ascospore masses. We examined the holotype of N. prava and the epitype of N. colliculosa from Norway. The ascospore masses are iridescent yellowish brown, with those of N. colliculosa tinged slightly olivaceous. The perithecial size ranges largely overlap. We thus consider N. colliculosa and N. prava to be conspecific.Petrini & Rogers (1986) treated N. serpens var. colliculosa as a variety of Hypoxylon atropurpureum [as H. atropurpureum var. brevistipitatum], emphasizing the ascal stipe length as a defining character to separate this taxon from N. atropurpurea. Granmo et al. (1999) recognized this taxon at species rank and considered that the ascal stipe length is not necessarily short. We reaffirm that the stipe length in the type specimen is much as given by Petrini & Rogers (1986), being 40-75 µm long. This size range, however, is extended with more specimens examined. The stromatal anatomy and ascospore morphology indicate that N. serpens var. colliculosa is closer to N. serpens than to N. atropurpurea; this is also supported by DNA sequencing data (Granmo et al. 1999).
Granmo et al. (1999) gave a detailed account on the type specimens of Sphaeria colliculosa. They designated a Norwegian specimen, TROM AG 228/95, as the neotype for this name. Nonetheless, there are still extant specimens of Schweinitz bearing S. colliculosa at PH and K. Among these specimens, Granmo et al. (1999) considered that the K specimen, K[M] 48938, resembles their Norwegian material. The K specimen, although small, is in reasonably good condition. Since a neotype can be designated only when all of the material on which the name of the taxon was based is missing (ICBN Art. 9.7), we here designate the K specimen as the lectotype and the Norwegian specimen as a suitable epitype. BPI 738581, labelled as "Sphaeria colliculosa Schw.", now contains no fungal material.
The "Carroll isolate" and "Petrini isolate" of Hypoxylon serpens in Petrini & Rogers (1986) are similar to N. serpens var. colliculosa in teleomorphs and anamorphs; they may represent endophytic variants of the latter. Nonetheless, cultures obtained from N. serpens var. colliculosa have not produced the teleomorph. The two endophytic isolates differ primarily in color of the mycelia in which the stromata are embedded: tan mycelium in the "Carroll isolate" and white to cream mycelium in the "Petrini isolate" (Petrini & Rogers 1986). See also "Taxa of Nemania that produce the teleomorph in agar culture".