Botanical Studies (2006) 47: 453-456.

*

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

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

INTRODUCTION

The genus Piptocephalis de Bary (Piptocephalidaceae,

Zoopagales, Zygomycetes) contains approximately

20 species (Grafenhan, 1998; Kirk et al., 2001), three

of which have been reported in Taiwan (Ho, 2003,

2004). Piptocephalis species have sporophores that

are dichotomously branched several times. A sterile

deciduous head cell is usually produced distally. Many

merosporangia are born on the head cell. The number of

spores contained within a merosporangium is variable.

The mature spores remain dry or are enclosed in a liquid

drop (Kirk, 1978). Species of Piptocephalis are obligate

parasites of other fungi mainly in the Mucorales. The

known habitats include dung, soil, and leaf litter.

A Piptocephalis species isolated from a soil sample

collected in Taiwan has features much like those of P.

richardii Baijal & B. S. Mehrotra (Grafenhan, 1998).

Piptocephalis richardii was first introduced by Baijal

and Mehrotra (1968), who apparently did not intend to

describe it but merely mentioned that the name would be

published later by Dr. R. K. Benjamin. Grafenhan (1998),

while revising the genus Piptocephalis in his M.S. thesis,

adopted P. richardii for a species resembling my Taiwan

fungus. To my knowledge, P. richardii has never been

validly published and only exists as a nomen nudum. I

thus propose a new name P. graefenhanii for the Taiwan

isolate to recognize Grafenhan¡¦s contribution to the genus

Piptocephalis.

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

o

C for nearly a week, before being observed under

a dissecting microscope. Sporophores of Piptocephalis

were transferred along with its host to fresh corn meal

agar plates and incubated at 24

o

C. After one week, the

mature spores of Piptocephalis were transferred again by

touching mature sporangia with a sterilized needle to pre-

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

inoculation of Piptocephalis sporangia, the spores of the

host were inoculated in the vicinity of the parasite. After

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

Pertinent materials were selected for SEM studies

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 (SEM) at 20 KV.

TAXONOMY

Piptocephalis graefenhanii H.-M. Ho, sp. nov.

Figures 1-2

Hyphae vegetativae plerumque submersae, hyalinae.

Sporophora erecta vel ascendentia, laevia, postea prostrata

et distanter septata; stipites principales 900-4000 £gm

longi, 2.5-5 £gm lati, dichotomis successivis usque ad

septem praediti; rami basiles 600-2000 ¡Ñ 2.5-5 £gm; rami

paenultimi 8-25 ¡Ñ 1.3-1.5 £gm; rami termiles 6-18 ¡Ñ 1 £gm.

Cellulae capituli deciduae, globosae, projecturis conicis,

(2-)3-5(-6) £gm diam, merosporangis 3-15 praeditae.

Merosporangia bispora, spora apicali e spora basili inflata.

Sporangiosporae ellipsoideae, laeves, hyalinae, (4-)5-6(-7)

TAXONOMY

A new species of Piptocephalis from Taiwan

Hsiao-Man HO*

Department of Science Education, National Taipei University of Education, No. 134, Sect. 2, Ho-Ping E. Rd., Taipei,

TAIWAN, Reublic of China

(Received October 14, 2005; Accepted April 10, 2006)

ABSTRACT.

Piptocephalis graefenhanii, isolated from forest soil in Taiwan, is described as new. It is

characterized by rather delicate sporophores, globose head cells, two-spored merosporangia with the apical

spore produced from the basal one, and spore masses remaining dry when mature.

Keywords: Piptocephalis graefenhanii; Taiwan; Zygomycetes.

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Botanical Studies, Vol. 47, 2006

Figure 1. Piptocephalis graefenhanii. A-E, SEM; F, LM. A, Distal end of sporophores showing head cells bearing merosporangia.

Bar = 5.0 £gm; B, Ultimate branch of a sporophore after the head cells and merosporangiospores are detached. Bar = 6.0 £gm; C, Two

detached merosporangiospores. Bar = 1.5 £gm; D, Terminal portion of two sporophores each bearing a head cell. Bar = 1.5 £gm; E, A

detached head cell. Bar = 1.0 £gm; F, A zygospore with two suspensors. Bar = 20 £gm.

HO ¡X A new species of

Piptocephalis

455

Figure 2. Piptocephalis gaefenhanii. a. Terminal portion of a typical sporophore. Bar = 0.1 mm; b, Ultimate branches after the head

cells are detached. Bar = 5.0 £gm; c, Terminal portion of an ultimate branch bearing young merosporangia. Bar = 4.3 £gm; d, Apex of an

ultimate branch bearing mature merosporangia. Bar = 2.5 £gm; e, Detached head cells. Bar = 3.0 £gm; f, Detached merosporangiospores.

Bar = 1.35 £gm.

¡Ñ 3-4(-4.8) £gm, massis sporae siccis ad maturitatem

persistentibus. Zygosporae super vel sub pagina agari

factae, globosae, verrucosae, 33-37 £gm diam, brunneolae,

suspensoribus septatis 22.5-27.5 ¡Ñ 12.5-13.8 £gm.

Vegetative hyphae usually submerged, hyaline.

Sporophores erect or ascending, smooth-walled, becoming

prostrate and distantly septate with age; main stalks

900-4000 £gm long, 2.5-5 £gm wide, bearing up to seven

successive dichotomies; basal branches 600-2000 ¡Ñ 2.5-5

£gm; penultimate branches 8-25 ¡Ñ 1.3-1.5 £gm; terminal

branches 6-18 ¡Ñ 1 £gm. Head cells deciduous, globose with

conical projections, (2-)3-5(-6) £gm diam, bearing 3-15

merosporangia. Merosporangia two-spored, with the apical

spore budding from the basal spore. Sporangiospores

ellipsoidal, smooth-walled, hyaline, (4-)5-6(-7) ¡Ñ 3-4(-4.8)

£gm, spore masses remaining dry at maturity. Zygospores

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Botanical Studies, Vol. 47, 2006

formed on or under the surface of agar media, globose,

roughened, 33-37 £gm diam, light brown, with septate

suspensors 22.5-27.5 ¡Ñ 12.5-13.8 £gm.

Holotype. TAIWAN. Taipei City, Yangmingshan

National Park, Apr 2000, from humus, H.-M. Ho, Symwt

0103 (TNM F18433), the living culture deposited at

BCRC.

Etymology. To recognize Grafenhan¡¦s contribution to

the genus Piptocephalis.

Commentary. This species is characterized by

delicate sporophores, globose head cells, and two-spored

sporangia. The apical spore buds from the basal one.

Piptocephalis lepidula (Marchal) R. K. Benjamin appears

closely related to this species, but differs in having more

robust, distinctly striated sporophores and narrower

sporangiospores.

Acknowledgements. This study was supported by Grant

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

Council, Taiwan, ROC. The author is grateful to Dr. Yu-

Ming Ju of the Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology,

Academia Sinica, Taipei for his kindly reviewing and

giving suggestions on the manuscript.

LITERATURE CITED

Baijal, U. and B.S. Mehrotra. 1968. An interesting species of

Piptocephalis. Zentralbl. Bakteriol. Hyg., 2. Abt. 122:

181-184.

G ra fe nha n, T. 19 98 . Ta xon om i c re vi s io n o f t he g en us

Piptocephalis (F ungi). Master¡¦s thesis. Mathem atisch-

Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultat der ernst-Moritz-Arndt-

Universiat. Greifswald, Germany, 102 pp.

H o, H .-M. 20 03. Th e Mer os p ora ng ife ro us F u ng i f rom

Taiwan (III): Three New Records of Piptocephalidaceae

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

H o, H .-M. 20 04. Th e Mer os p ora ng ife ro us F u ng i f rom

Taiwan (IV): Two New Records of Piptocephalis

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

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

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

Kirk, P.M., P.F. Cannon, J.C. David, and J.A. Stalpers (eds.).

2001. Dictionary of the fungi. 9th. ed. CABI International,

Wallingford, UK, 655 pp.