Black mildews ( Ascomycetes ) from southern Western Ghats of Peninsular India with description of 14 new species

This paper gives an account of 15 black mildew fungi collected from Kodagu in Karnataka and Kollam in Kerala states. Of these, Asterina cassiigena, A. chrysophylligena, A. hemidesmi, A. ushae, A. thevalakkaraensis, A. vitacearum, Asterostomella derridicola, A. vernoniae, Prillieuxina humboltiae, Echinodella mimusopsidis, Mahanteshamyces litseae, Sarcinella bischofiae, S. pogostemonis and S. securinegae are new species, while Asterina antidesmatis forms a new record for India.


Western Ghats Special Series
The publication of this article is supported by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), a joint initiative of l'Agence Française de Développement, Conservation International, the European Commission, the Global Environment Facility, the Government of Japan, the MacArthur Foundation and the World Bank.Appressoria alternate to unilateral, antrorse to subantrorse, sublobate to deeply lobate, 5-10 x 5-10 µm; thyriothecia, scattered, orbicular, up to 160µm in diameter, stellately dehisced at the centre; asci globose, octosporous, up to 22µm in diameter; ascospores, conglobate, uni septate, constricted at the septum, 15-20 x 5-10 µm, wall echinulate at maturity.Asterina cifferiana Petrak, A. contigua Sydow are known on the members of family Caesalpiniaceae (Hosagoudar & Abraham 2000).However, Asterina cassiigena differs from both in having distantly appressoria.

Asterina cassiigena
Etymology: Specific epithet based on the host genus.
Etymology: Specific epithet based on the host Colonies epiphyllous, subdense, up to 4mm in diameter, confluent.Hyphae straight to substraight, branching alternate to irregular at acute to wide angles, loosely to closely reticulate, cells 16-32 x 4-7 µm.

Asterina hemidesmi
Etymology: Specific epithet based on the host genus.
Colonies epiphyllous, subdense, up to 4mm in  Oblong, narrowly cylindrical, entire, angular to sublobate head cells of the appressoria distinguishes this species from rest of the Asterina species known on the members of Euphorbiaceae (Hosagoudar 2012).
Etymology: Species named in honour of Mrs. Dr. Usha Mane (Machale), for her selfless service to mankind.

Asterina thevalakkaraensis
Etymology: Specific epithet based on the collection locality.

Asterostomella derridicola
Etymology: Specific epithet based on the host genus.

Asterostomella vernoniae
Etymology: Specific epithet based on the host genus.
Etymology: Specific epithet based on the host genus.

Echinodella mimusopsidis
Etymology: Specific epithet based on the host genus.

Mahanteshamyces litseae
Etymology: Specific epithet based on the host genus.

Sarcinella bischofiae
Etymology: Specific epithet based on the host genus.

Sarcinella securinegae
Etymology: Specific epithet based on the host genus.