Meliola elaeocarpicola sp. nov. (Ascomycetes, Meliolales) from Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala State, India

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PLATINUM OPEN ACCESS
A huge number of meliolaceous fungi were reported from India and there was a requirement for the consolidation of this group and Hosagoudar (1996) published a monograph for India by including six genera and 378 species. The enthusiastic work on this group continued in Kerala. Hosagoudar & Abraham (1996a, b), Hosagoudar et al. (1997), Hosagoudar & Abraham (1998 a,b,c,d,e), Hosagoudar et al. (1998 a,b,c,d,e,f; 1999a,b), Goos & Hosagoudar (1998)

Materials and Methods
Infected leaves of Elaeocarpus sp. (Elaeocarpaceae) were collected and field notes were prepared regarding their nature of colonies, infection and the collection locality. For each collection, a separate field number was given. In the field, each infected plant part was collected separately in polythene bags along with the host twig (preferably with the reproductive parts, to facilitate the identity of the corresponding host). These infected plant parts were pressed neatly and dried between blotting papers. After ensuring their dryness, they were used for microscopic study. Scrapes were taken directly from the infected host and mounted in 10% KOH solution. After 30 mins, KOH was replaced by Lactophenol. Both the mountants performed well as clearing agents and made the septa visible for taking measurements. To study the entire colony in its natural condition, a drop of high quality natural colored or transparent nail polish was applied to the selected colonies and carefully thinned with the help of a fine brush without disturbing the colonies. Colonies with hyper parasites showing a woolly nature were avoided. The treated colonies along with their host plants were kept in a dust free chamber for half an hour.
When the nail polish on the colonies dried fully, a thin, colorless or slightly apple rose colored (depending upon the colour tint in the nail polish) film or flip was formed with the colonies firmly embedded in it. In case of soft host parts, the flip was lifted off with a slight pressure on the opposite side of the leaves and just below the colonies. In case of hard host parts, the flip was eased off with the help of a razor or scalpel. A drop of dibutyl J TT phthalate polystyrene xylene (DPX) was spread on a clean slide and the flip was spread properly on it. One or two more drops of DPX were added additionally on the flip and a clean cover glass was placed over it. By gently pressing on the cover glass, the excessive amount of DPX was removed after drying. Care was taken to avoid air bubbles.
These slides were labeled and placed in a dust free chamber for one to two days for drying. These permanent slides were then used for further studies. For innate fungi, sections were made and stained in cotton blue. After the study of each collection, part of the material was retained in the regional herbarium, Mar Thoma College Herbarium, Thiruvalla (MTCHT).
On   Hosagoudar 1996Hosagoudar , 2008Hosagoudar , 2013Hosagoudar et al. 1997;Hosagoudar & Agarwal 2008 www.threatenedtaxa.org The Journal of Threatened Taxa (JoTT) is dedicated to building evidence for conservation globally by publishing peer-reviewed articles online every month at a reasonably rapid rate at www.threatenedtaxa.org. All articles published in JoTT are registered under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License unless otherwise mentioned. JoTT allows allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of articles in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication.