Lasiodiplodia crassispora

Lasiodiplodia crassispora T.I. Burgess & P.A. Barber, Mycologia 98: 425. 2006.

Index Fungorum: IF500235; MycoBank: MB500235.

Saprobic on dead branches of canker of Santalum album. Asexual morph: Pycnidia up to 0.5–1 mm diam., superficial, conical, smooth, iron gray. Paraphyses (21)30–62(66) × 2–3.5(4) μm (av. ± S.D. = 45.7 × 2.7 μm, n = 50), cylindrical, septate, hyaline. Conidiogenous cells (6)8–16(19) × 3–7 μm (av. ± S.D. = 11.8 × 5 μm, n = 50), holoblastic, hyaline, subcylindrical to cylindrical to ampulliform. Conidia 27–30(–33) × 14–17 μm (av. ± S.D. = 28.8 × 16, n = 75), ovoid, rounded at both ends, initially hyaline and aseptate, becoming pigmented brown, vertical striations and 1-septate at maturity. Sexual morph: not observed.

Cultural characteristics: Colonies reaching 74 mm diam. on PDA after 3 d in the dark at 30 °C. Cardinal temperatures for growth: 30 °C is the optimum temperature.

Representative isolate: Australia, Western Australia, Kununurra from canker of Santalum album, Dec 2003, T.I. Burgess, holotype MURU 407, WAC 12533 (ex-type culture).

Hosts: Santalum album (Burgess et al. 2006).

Known distribution: Acarigua, Venezuela, S. Mohali (Burgess et al. 2006).

GenBank Numbers: ITS DQ103550; TEF DQ103557

Notes: Lasiodiplodia crassispora could be easily distinguished from the immature conidia of all other species. Conidia has notably thicker cell walls and the striations appear to be wider and the cytoplasm wart-like in appearance.