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Morosphaeria muthupetensis sp. nov. (Morosphaeriaceae) from India: morphological characterization and multigene phylogenetic inference

  • Bandarupalli Devadatha

    Bandarupalli Devadatha obtained his MSc degree in biochemistry and molecular biology at Pondicherry University. At present he is studying biodiversity, taxonomy, phylogeny and antiquorum sensing of marine fungi. He is a PhD research scholar under the supervision of Dr. V. Venkateswara Sarma.

         , Vemuri Venkateswara Sarma

    Vemuri Venkateswara Sarma obtained his PhD in biodiversity and ecology of marine fungi in the mangroves of Godavari and Krishna rivers, East coast of India. Subsequently he has carried out post-doctoral studies in Hong Kong University working on marine fungi and tropical microfungi. He has taken up a faculty position in the Department of Biotechnology, Pondicherry University, India in 2009 and is continuing his research pursuits in the area of fungal biotechnology. His research interests are morphological and molecular analyses of microfungi and marine fungi for biodiversity studies, in addition to screening the fungal isolates for enzymes and secondary metabolites.

     EMAIL logo     , Rajesh Jeewon

    Rajesh Jeewon holds a first class BSc (Hons) with double gold medals for outstanding performance at the Faculty of Science, a PhD (in fungal microorganisms – DNA based phylogenetics) and over 15 years of experience (in academia – teaching, research and administration) in well recognized universities (UK, Hong Kong, China and Thailand). He has successfully supervised 13 PhD students, and presently nine PhD students are studying under his guidance. He has over 150 publications in high quality international publications (Google Scholar citations over 4600, H index of 35) and has secured 12 research grants so far as PI and CoI.

         and E.B. Gareth Jones

    E.B. Gareth Jones is a well-known professor of marine mycology. He obtained his PhD from the University of Leeds, UK and was awarded his DSc from the University of Wales, UK. He has supervised over 80 PhD students and has published some 550 research articles. He is now visiting professor at Chiang Mai University, Thailand. His particular interests are phylogenetic studies of aquatic fungi, and heading the website marinefungi.org.
Published/Copyright: June 12, 2018
Botanica Marina
From the journal Botanica Marina Volume 61 Issue 4

Abstract

A novel species of Morosphaeria, Morosphaeria muthupetensis, saprobic on intertidal mangrove wood of Rhizophora mucronata from Muthupet mangroves on Kaveri River Delta, Tamil Nadu along the East coast of India, is described in this paper. Morosphaeria muthupetensis is characterized by large sub-globose to lenticular ascomata; long cylindrical to clavate, short pedicellate asci; small, fusiform to ellipsoidal ascospores with acute ends when compared to other Morosphaeria species. A multigene phylogeny obtained from a combined nuclear large subunit, small subunit, internal transcribed spacers rDNA and translation elongation factor 1-alpha sequence analysis revealed that M. muthupetensis is phylogenetically distinct and nested in between Morosphaeria velatispora and Morosphaeria ramunculicola and all these species constitute a strongly supported monophyletic clade sister to the genus Helicascus. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of M. muthupetensis are presented and compared with other Morosphaeria species.

Keywords: mangroves; marine fungi; phylogeny; Pleosporales; Rhizophora

About the authors

Bandarupalli Devadatha

Bandarupalli Devadatha obtained his MSc degree in biochemistry and molecular biology at Pondicherry University. At present he is studying biodiversity, taxonomy, phylogeny and antiquorum sensing of marine fungi. He is a PhD research scholar under the supervision of Dr. V. Venkateswara Sarma.

Vemuri Venkateswara Sarma

Vemuri Venkateswara Sarma obtained his PhD in biodiversity and ecology of marine fungi in the mangroves of Godavari and Krishna rivers, East coast of India. Subsequently he has carried out post-doctoral studies in Hong Kong University working on marine fungi and tropical microfungi. He has taken up a faculty position in the Department of Biotechnology, Pondicherry University, India in 2009 and is continuing his research pursuits in the area of fungal biotechnology. His research interests are morphological and molecular analyses of microfungi and marine fungi for biodiversity studies, in addition to screening the fungal isolates for enzymes and secondary metabolites.

Rajesh Jeewon

Rajesh Jeewon holds a first class BSc (Hons) with double gold medals for outstanding performance at the Faculty of Science, a PhD (in fungal microorganisms – DNA based phylogenetics) and over 15 years of experience (in academia – teaching, research and administration) in well recognized universities (UK, Hong Kong, China and Thailand). He has successfully supervised 13 PhD students, and presently nine PhD students are studying under his guidance. He has over 150 publications in high quality international publications (Google Scholar citations over 4600, H index of 35) and has secured 12 research grants so far as PI and CoI.

E.B. Gareth Jones

E.B. Gareth Jones is a well-known professor of marine mycology. He obtained his PhD from the University of Leeds, UK and was awarded his DSc from the University of Wales, UK. He has supervised over 80 PhD students and has published some 550 research articles. He is now visiting professor at Chiang Mai University, Thailand. His particular interests are phylogenetic studies of aquatic fungi, and heading the website marinefungi.org.

Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India, for funding this project (sanction order: MOES/36/OO1S/Extra/40/2014/PC-IV dt.14.1.2015). The authors would also like to thank District Forest Office, Tiruvarur, Tamil Nadu and PCCF (Head of Forest Force), Chennai, Tamil Nadu Forest Department for providing permission to collect samples from Muthupet mangroves. Department of Biotechnology, Pondicherry University is thanked for providing the facilities. B. Devadatha would like to thank the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India for providing a fellowship. Dr. R. Jeewon acknowledges University of Mauritius for research support.

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Received: 2017-12-12
Accepted: 2018-05-02
Published Online: 2018-06-12
Published in Print: 2018-07-26

©2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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  5. Differences in flowering sex ratios between native and invasive populations of the seagrass Halophila stipulacea
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  13. Studies of North Carolina marine algae XIV: increased diversity of flattened offshore Gracilaria (Gracilariales, Rhodophyta) species revealed by DNA sequences of contemporary specimens and the G. mammillaris holotype
  14. First report, based on morpho-anatomical data, of the green alga Pseudocodium okinawense (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta) in the Mediterranean Sea
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https://doi.org/10.1515/bot-2017-0124
Keywords for this article
mangroves; marine fungi; phylogeny; Pleosporales; Rhizophora

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. In this issue
  3. Physiology and ecology
  4. Environmental correlates of Thalassia hemprichii status descriptors: an evaluation of tools for diagnostic monitoring
  5. Differences in flowering sex ratios between native and invasive populations of the seagrass Halophila stipulacea
  6. Microspongium alariae in Alaria esculenta: a widely-distributed non-parasitic brown algal endophyte that shows cell modifications within its host
  7. Fungal assemblages associated with commercial bivalve species in coastal waters of the Sea of Japan, Russia
  8. Taxonomy/phylogeny and biogeography
  9. Heading northward to Scandinavia: Undaria pinnatifida in the northern Wadden Sea
  10. The genus Rosenvingea (Phaeophyceae: Scytosiphonaceae) in south-west Australia, with the description of Rosenvingea australis sp. nov.
  11. Solieria incurvata (Solieriaceae, Rhodophyta), a new species from Venezuela based on morpho-anatomical and molecular evidence
  12. Morosphaeria muthupetensis sp. nov. (Morosphaeriaceae) from India: morphological characterization and multigene phylogenetic inference
  13. Studies of North Carolina marine algae XIV: increased diversity of flattened offshore Gracilaria (Gracilariales, Rhodophyta) species revealed by DNA sequences of contemporary specimens and the G. mammillaris holotype
  14. First report, based on morpho-anatomical data, of the green alga Pseudocodium okinawense (Bryopsidales, Chlorophyta) in the Mediterranean Sea
  15. First record of a rare species, Polyasterias problematica (Prasinophyceae), in Balsfjord, northern Norway
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