Botanical Studies (2009) 50: 69-72.

*

Corresponding author: E-mail: ho@tea.ntue.edu.tw; Tel:

+886-2-2-27321104 ext. 3319; Fax: +886-2-27375419.

INTRODUCTION

Species of Piptocephalis de Bary (Piptocephalidaceae,

Zoopagales, Zygomycota) are obligate parasites of other

fungi, mainly Mucorales, and usually can be isolated

from herbivore dung, soil or leaf litter. The sporophores

are dichotomously branched several times and terminate

in a usually sterile deciduous head cell. Many rod-

shaped merosporangia, containing a variable number of

merospores, are born on the head cell. The mature spores

remain dry or are enclosed in a liquid droplet (Kirk, 1978).

This genus contains approximately 21 species

(Grafenhan, 1998; Kirk et al., 2001; Ho, 2006), four of

which have been reported in Taiwan, including one new

species (Ho, 2003, 2004, 2006). In this study, we describe

a species o f Piptocephalis isolated from a soil sample

collected from Yangmingshan National Park, Taipei,

Taiwan. It has features much like those of P. cruciata

Tiegh. (van Tieghem, 1875), P. debaryana B. S. Mehrotra

(Mehrotra, 1960) and P. freseniana de Bary (de Bary,

1865). However, it can be distinguished from these three

species by smaller head cells and smaller merospores.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Soil samples were collected from Yangmingshan

National Park, Taipei and brought back to the laboratory

in sterilized plastic bags. Two to three milligrams of

soil particles were placed on 1.7% corn meal agar

(Becton Dickinson) plates. The plates were incubated

at 24¢XC for nearly a week and were observed under a

dissecting microscope. Sporophores of Piptocephalis were

transferred along with their host to fresh corn meal agar

plates and incubated at 24¢XC. After one week, the mature

spores of Piptocephalis were transferred again by touching

mature merosporangia with a sterilized needle to pre-

marked spots on fresh corn meal agar plates. One day after

inoculation of Piptocephalis merospores, the spores of the

host were inoculated in the vicinity of the parasite. After

4-7 days, the host was parasitized by the Piptocephalis

species.

Microscope slides were prepared from ten-day-

old cultures using tap water or lactic acid-cotton blue

(cotton blue, 0.5 g; 90% lactic acid, 1L) as mounting

media (Kurihara et al., 2000). They were observed and

photographed using a Leica MPS32 light microscope

(LM). For scanning electron microscopy (SEM), pertinent

materials were selected using a dissecting microscope and

fixed for 1 h with 2.5% glutaraldehyde in distilled water

and then post-fixed for 1 h with 1% osmium tetraoxide

in distilled water. The specimens were washed with

distilled water and dehydrated in a graded acetone series.

Specimens were dried in a critical point dryer, coated with

gold, and observed with a Hitachi S-520 scanning electron

microscope at 20 KV.

TAXONOMY

Piptocephalis formosana H.M. Ho & P.M. Kirk, sp. nov.

Figures 1 and 2

Hyphae vegetativae plerumque submersae, hyalinae.

Sporophora erecta vel ascendentia, postea prostrata et

distanter septata, longitudinaliter striata; stipites princi-

pales ad 13 mm longi, 3.0-4.5 £gm lati, constantes ex ra-

mificationibus successivis usque ad 4, ramosi dichotome,

tripartiti vel quadripartiti rami basiles 160-480 ¡Ñ 3.5-4.5

Piptocephalis formosana, a new species from Taiwan

Hsiao-Man HO

1,

* and Paul M. KIRK

2

1

Department of Science Education, National Taipei University of Education, Taipei, 10671, Taiwan, ROC

2

CABI Europe-UK, Bakeham Lane, Egham, Surrey TW20 9TY, UK

(Received February 15, 2008; Accepted July 30, 2008)

ABSTRACT.

Piptocephalis formosana, isolated from forest soil in Taiwan, is described as new. Compared

with similar species, P. formosana differs in having smaller head cells that are 4-5 lobed, cylindrical

merosporangia containing (2-)3(-4) merospores, and smaller merospores surrounded by a water droplet when

mature.

Keywords: Piptocephalis formosana; Taiwan; Zygomycetes.

MICROBIOLOgY

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Botanical Studies, Vol. 50, 2009

Figure 1. Piptocephalis formosana. A-C, E, G, LM; D, F, SEM; A, Terminal branch of a sporophore with the head cells and

merosporangiospores detached. Bar = 20 £gm; B, Terminal portion of sporophore with merospores detached. Bar = 10 £gm; C, Terminal

portions of two sporophores showing head cells with merospores detached. Bar =10 £gm; D, Apex of a terminal branch showing the

lobes of head cells with merospores detached. Bar = 2 £gm; E, Distal end of sporophores showing head cells bearing merosporangia.

Bar = 20 £gm; F, Detached merospores. Bar = 3.8 £gm; G, A zygospore with two suspensors. Bar = 20 £gm.

HO and KIRK ¡X A new species of

Piptocephalis

71

£gm; rami paenultimi 20-80 ¡Ñ 2.5-3.5 £gm; rami termiles

28-47 ¡Ñ 1.5-2.0 £gm. Cellulae capituli deciduae, conica,

projecturis lobatis, 4.5-5.5 £gm diam, merosporangis 11-18

praeditae. Merosporangia trispora. Sporangiosporae cylin-

dratae, laeves, hyalinae, (2.5-)3.0-3.5(-4.0) ¡Ñ (1.0-)2.0 £gm,

Zygosporae super vel sub pagina agari factae, globosae,

verrucosae, 42.5-47.5 £gm diam, brunneolae. (Holotypus:

TNM F21839).

Vegetative hyphae usually submerged, hyaline.

Sporophores originally erect or ascending, prostrate

later, smooth-walled, hyaline when young becoming

light yellow and striate in age; sometimes with shorter,

erect sporophores arising from rhizoids. Basal main

stalks up to 13 mm long, 3.0-4.5 £gm wide, septate,

fertile branch system arising from main stalk consisting

of up to four successive ramifications, branching di- to

quadrichotomously (Figures 1A and 2A), usually non-

septate; primary branches 160-480 ¡Ñ 3.5-4.5 £gm, forming

(2-)3-4(-5) branches in a whorl; penultimate branches

20-80 ¡Ñ 2.5-3.5 £gm, branching di- or trichotomously;

terminal branches 28-47 ¡Ñ 1.5-2.0 £gm, branching

di- or trichotomously, slightly swollen at top (Figure

1B). Head cells deciduous, conical, with 4-5 lobed

projections (Figures 1C, D and 2B-D,), 4.5-5.5 £gm

diam, bearing 11-20 merosporangia (Figures 1E and

2E-G). Merosporangia cylindrical, containing (2-)3(-4)

merospores. Merospores cylindrical, the basal ones with

the proximal end rounded, the apical ones with the distal

end rounded, smooth-walled (Figures 1F and 2H), hyaline,

(2.5-)3.0-3.5(-4.0) ¡Ñ (1.0-)1.5-2.0 £gm, with spore heads

Figure 2. Piptocephalis formosana. A, Upper portion of a sporophore showing branching pattern; B, A head cell with merosporangia

detached. Bar = 5 £gm; C, A head cell with merosporangia detached. Bar = 2.5 £gm; D, A head cell with merosporangia detached, bottom

view. Bar = 2 £gm; E, A head cell with merosporangial primordia. Bar=2 £gm; F, A head cell with young, developing merosporangia. Bar

= 2 £gm; G, A head cell with young merosporangia. Bar = 2 £gm; H, Merospores. Bar = 5 £gm.

72

Botanical Studies, Vol. 50, 2009

forming liquid droplets at maturity. Zygospores formed

on or under the surface of agar, globose; exospores

roughened, 42.5-47.5 £gm diam, light brown; endospore

smooth, with swollen suspensors (Figure 1G).

Holotype. TAIWAN. Taipei City, Yangmingshan

National Park, from soil, parasitizing Mucor sp., coll

.

Apr

2004, H.M. Ho SYMC 0302. A living culture deposited

with CABI Europe-UK (IMI 392502), a dry culture

deposited at the National Museum of Natural Science,

Taichung, Taiwan (TNM F21839).

Etymology. Referring to Taiwan where the fungus was

collected.

Commentary. Piptocephalis formosana resembles P.

cruciata, P. debaryana, and P. freseniana in numbers of

merospores within each merosporangium, lobed head cells

and spore heads forming a water droplet at maturity. The

head cells of P. formosana are 4.5-5.5 £gm, smaller than

those of P. cruciata, P. debaryana, and P. fresemoama,

which are 6.5-15 £gm, 7-15 £gm, and (5-)6-19.5 £gm,

respectively (Grafenhan, 1998). Also, the merospores of

P. formosana are 3.0-3.5 ¡Ñ 2 £gm, smaller than those of

the three aforementioned species, 4-7.5 ¡Ñ 2.5-3 £gm in P.

cruciata; 3-7 ¡Ñ 2.5 £gm in P. debaryana, and 4-9 ¡Ñ 2.5-3.5

£gm in P. freseniana. Also, the branching system is tri- or

quadrichotomously branched in P. formosana as opposed

to dichotomously branched in P. freseniana. P. cruciata

also differs from P. formosana in having (3-)4-6(-8)

merospores in each merosporangium.

Acknowledgements. This study was supported by Grant

NSC92-2621-B-152-001 from the National Science

Council, Taiwan, ROC.

LITERATURE CITED

De Bary, A. 1865. Zur Kenntnis der Mucorinen

.

Abh. Sencken-

berg. Naturf. Ges. 5: 345-375.

Grafenhan, T. 1998. Taxonomic revision of the genus

Piptocephalis (F ungi). Mas ter¡¦s thes is. Mathem atisch-

Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultat der Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-

Universiat. Greifswald, Germany, 102 pp.

Ho, H.M. 2003. The Merosporangiferous Fungi from

Taiwan (III): Three New Records of P iptocephalidaceae

(Zoopagales, Zygomycetes). Taiwania 48: 53-59.

Ho, H.M. 2004. The Merosporangiferous Fungi from

Taiwan (IV): Two New Records of Piptocephalis

(Piptocephalidaceae, Zoopagales). Taiwania 49: 188-193.

Ho, H.M. 2006. A new species of Piptocephalis from Taiwan.

Bot. Stud. 47: 453-456.

Kirk, P.M. 1978. A new and unusual species of Piptocephalis

(Mucorales). Trans. Brit. Mycol. Soc. 70: 335-340.

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(eds .) 2001. Dictionary of the F ungi. 9th. (ed.), CABI

International, Wallingford, UK. 655 pp.

Kurihara, Y., S. Tokumasu, and C-Y. Chien. 2000. Coemansia

furcata sp. nov. and its distribution in Japan and Taiwan.

Mycoscience 41: 579-583.

Mehrotra, B.S. 1960. S tudies on Mucorales III: Piptocephalis

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Van Tieghem, P. 1875. Nouvelles recherches sur les Mucorinees.

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