Veronaea aquatica sp. nov. (Herpotrichiellaceae, Chaetothyriales, Eurotiomycetes) from submerged bamboo in China
- Author: mycolabadmin
- 2021-09-23
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Summary
This research describes a newly discovered species of fungus found growing on submerged bamboo in Chinese streams. The discovery helps expand our understanding of fungal diversity in freshwater environments.
Impacts on everyday life:
– Contributes to documenting Earth’s biodiversity
– Helps understand decomposition processes in freshwater ecosystems
– Advances knowledge of fungi that break down plant material in aquatic environments
– Provides baseline data for future environmental monitoring and conservation
Background
Freshwater fungi are highly diverse and ecologically important in freshwater systems, acting as decomposers of dead organic matter. In China, more than 1,000 species of freshwater fungi have been documented. The genus Veronaea contains 20 known species, with sequences available for only four of them. Species can be found in freshwater habitats, soil, and on various terrestrial hosts as saprobes or plant pathogens.
Objective
To describe and characterize a new species of freshwater fungus, Veronaea aquatica, found on submerged decaying bamboo culms collected from a stream in Jiangxi Province, China, using morphological and molecular phylogenetic analyses.
Results
Veronaea aquatica was found to be morphologically distinct from related species, with longer conidiophores (up to 280 μm) and cylindrical to pyriform or subclavate conidia with 0-2 septa. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of combined LSU, ITS and TUB2 sequences placed V. aquatica as sister to V. japonica with high support (MLBS = 95%, PP = 1.00).
Conclusion
A new species of freshwater fungus, Veronaea aquatica, is described based on distinct morphological characteristics and molecular evidence. This brings the total number of known Veronaea species to twenty-one. The discovery highlights the continued importance of exploring fungal diversity in freshwater habitats.
- Published in:Biodiversity Data Journal,
- Study Type:Taxonomic Study,
- Source: 10.3897/BDJ.9.e64505